President Muhammadu Buhari has warned heads of governing councils of Nigerian Universities against mismanaging the process of appointing Vice Chancellors, saying they would be held responsible for the outcome of the process.
Buhari, who gave the warning at the 2020 convocation and 72nd foundation day celebration of the University of Ibadan said government is worried about the avalanche of petitions, many bordering on serious allegations of bribery and corruption as well as disrespect for due process, in the course of selecting new vice-chancellors in some federal universities.
Represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, President Buhari, who is the Visitor to the university, further warned that government will not hesitate to dissolve or suspend all erring governing councils or university managements found to have fallen short of the standard expected of them.
He said government has set in motion several mechanisms to monitor the selection process of VCs with a view to taking appropriate measures to ensure that the processes are conducted in open, fair and transparent manner and that all violators are properly sanctioned.
“Pro-Chancellors, in their dual role as chairpersons of governing councils and chairpersons of the five-person selection committee for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, must be prepared to bear full responsibility for the management or mismanagement of the process. It is our hope the University of Ibadan, as Nigeria’s premier university, will live up to its billing in this respect.
