President Bola Tinubu had in June 2023, shortly after taking workplace, dissolved the governing councils of federal universities and left the administration of the establishments to the Vice Chancellor. Stakeholders, nevertheless, lamented that this transfer has affected the actions of universities, together with the promotion and appointment of lecturers, and known as for pressing motion from all stakeholders. IYABO LAWAL Studies.
There are contemporary considerations from stakeholders over the failure to ascertain governing councils of federal universities after President Tinubu took workplace.
Presently, 52 federal universities function with out councils; 42 have been dissolved in June final 12 months, barely a 12 months and a half earlier than the top of their phrases on June 15, 2025, whereas the remaining 10, which have been established in 2021, don’t but have councils.
The absence of councils has affected the functioning of those establishments and halted the appointment and promotion of lecturers. The council is the governing physique of the college and is charged with the overall management and supervision of the college's insurance policies, funds and properties. college, together with its public relations.
The councils are anticipated to approve the college's annual funds, oversee employees recruitment, and promote and approve new tutorial packages. They need to additionally be certain that every establishment features in accordance with its goals.
The Council of a college should additionally look into the method of appointing the Vice-Chancellor. The speedy previous Minister of Training, Adamu Adamu, inaugurated the 42 councils of federal universities in 2021.
Nevertheless, the councils have been dissolved in 2023 in violation of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Modification Act 2012. Part 2(a) of the Act learn partly: “The council so constituted shall have a time period of workplace of 4 years from the date of its inauguration. , offered that if any council is discovered to be incompetent and corrupt, it shall be dissolved by the Customer and a brand new council shall be instantly constituted for the efficient functioning of the College.”
Stakeholders mentioned it has been tough to rent or promote lecturers or successfully handle the establishments for the reason that dissolution 9 months in the past, and known as for pressing motion from the federal government.
Sources from some establishments alleged that prime officers have mismanaged funds for the reason that council's dissolution as there aren’t any governing boards to average their actions.
“We got here throughout this mess barely midway by way of the councils' tenure. They have been dissolved arbitrarily, opposite to the provisions of the regulation. It was a part of the wholesale dissolution of the boards of administrators of the parastatals and companies of the federal authorities. We consider that this was a mistake as this was accomplished underneath the earlier administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar'adua and Muhammadu Buhari. The circumstances of the dissolution of the councils by the earlier governments have been the identical as what we now have witnessed now.”
The supply famous that when the eye of former presidents was drawn to the unlawful act, they reversed the choice to permit for the efficient functioning of the establishments.
“It has been 9 months since this error was made and it has but to be corrected. Commerce unions and different stakeholders have drawn the federal government's consideration to this, nevertheless it has not but taken any motion.
The Tutorial Workers Union of Universities (ASUU) has already alleged that the absence of governing councils in all federal universities makes the establishments' actions unlawful. The Nationwide Chairman of the union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, whereas criticizing the dissolution, mentioned it’s harmful for a college to operate with no council.
The union termed the transfer as hostile and a serious setback for the expansion and growth of college training within the nation.
Osodeke, who condemned the transfer, confused that such a development, if allowed to proceed, would cripple the college system.”
In line with him, the dissolution was not solely opposite to the regulation establishing federal universities, however would additionally stagnate the progress of the establishments.
“The governing council is the very best decision-making physique of any college, and as soon as it’s dissolved with out speedy alternative, it delays each main determination within the college. “We thus contemplate the dissolution as detrimental to the progress of the college system and name on the federal government to rescind its determination,” he mentioned. He appealed to the federal government to permit the establishments to function underneath the regulation that established them.
“The councils have been dissolved for greater than 9 months. These universities are functioning illegally and the minister has turn out to be the council. There are a lot of vice-chancellors whose phrases are about to finish, and there’s no council to provoke the appointment course of for brand spanking new ones. The federal government ought to reconstitute these to avert the hazard of not having councils. Any determination now taken by the Vice Chancellor or anybody else is against the law. The college can not operate correctly since you want a council to award contracts, make use of and make different essential choices however the authorities doesn’t appear interested by forming a council,” Osodeke mentioned. .
He urged the federal authorities to instantly reform the councils or reinstate these illegally dissolved final 12 months. Osodeke's argument on the dissolved councils was that their removing was unlawful as they’ve a four-year time period of workplace, and will solely be eliminated after committing an offence.
“Their time period of workplace is 4 years; to take away them they will need to have dedicated an offense; the federal government can't simply get up and arbitrarily dissolve them. The regulation didn’t acknowledge that,” Osodeke mentioned. A college council consists of the pro-chancellor who serves as chairman, vice-chancellor, exterior members and a consultant every from the Nationwide Universities Fee (NUC), the college senate and the college congregation.
Equally, a coalition of civil society organizations in Nigeria (COCSON) has acknowledged that the Federal Authorities has no energy to dissolve councils until they’re discovered to be incompetent or insufficient.
The group famous {that a} state of affairs the place presidential powers are used to usurp the powers of the college system must be urgently reversed. The group maintained that the dissolution didn’t adjust to the provisions of Part 3(2) (A) of the Universities Autonomy Act 2007.
COCSON mentioned the dissolution has left the college system headless and now topic to political dictates. Chidozie mentioned the college system is at the moment virtually grounded as promotions, entrance examinations and convocations will not be going down as they need to as councils are anticipated to approve the dates.
“One other clear instance of the hazards of dissolving boards turns out to be useful with the indignant brawl on the Federal College of Well being Sciences, Otukpo, the place concern of implosion gripped the establishment after the Vice Chancellor reportedly fired his deputy dismissed for lack of cooperation. Such a growth wouldn’t have occurred if the council had been there.
Chidozie opined that for frequent sense to prevail, councils of universities have to be allowed to finish their phrases of workplace, and upon completion, the federal government can reappoint or appoint its personal folks.
“If we permit this to turn out to be a precedent, it’ll take our college system into the previous and as soon as once more take away from one of the best international requirements achieved lately. If left unchecked, there’ll come a time when politicians and officers will take over the complete college system and start to dictate what to show, train, and when to show.
“It is a critical nationwide problem, President Tinubu should set a worthy instance by conforming to present legal guidelines. The present state of affairs the place presidential powers are used to usurp the powers of the college system have to be urgently reversed.”
However on the current convocation of the College of Abuja, President Tinubu disclosed that the councils of federal universities would quickly be reconstituted. He assured that the membership of the councils would encompass Nigerians with the zeal and dedication to manipulate and revive the schools in accordance with the provisions of the prevailing legal guidelines and traditions of the system.
Tinubu famous that the councils are anticipated to instantly start implementation of a white paper on the experiences of the assorted visitation panels of their respective universities upon their inauguration.
He warned that his authorities is not going to settle for or condone any poor efficiency within the implementation of the White Paper, or the general mandate of the brand new governing councils.
