Tinubu Appoints Ex-INEC Chair, Jega, Yayale, Yuguda, Others Into Varsities’ Governing Councils
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed a distinguished group of individuals to serve in the newly released list of federal universities’ Governing Councils.
Among them are former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, former Bauchi Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, and former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega.
Additionally, the President included Alhaji Muhammad Abacha, son of late Head of State Sani Abacha, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, Prof. Munzali Jibril, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, Sen Joy Emordi, and Prof Julius Okojie in the appointment lists.
Five names were chosen for each of the 50 universities, 37 polytechnics, and 24 colleges of education. These individuals will serve as Pro-chancellors/Chairmen and members of the Governing Boards for the 111 federal universities, polytechnics, and Colleges of Education.
This information was conveyed through an advertorial by the Federal Ministry of Education, as published in one of the national dailies and signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack.
According to the advertorial, “The inauguration and retreat for the Governing Councils will take place on Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31, 2024, at the National Universities Commission, 26 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja. Both events will commence at 9am daily.”
The appointments were made a few days after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) threatened to go on strike again. They cited the failure of the Federal Government to appoint Governing Councils for federal universities, even after dissolving the existing ones for a year.
ASUU claimed that the universities were operating illegally without the councils. They stated that it was unusual for universities to function without a governing council, which is responsible for overseeing their activities and finances.
However, the Federal Government College Kano was listed as the Federal University of Education Kano, adding to the confusion among staff members. They are unsure whether the institution is now a university or still a college of education.
Barrister AU Mustapha (SAN) has been appointed as the pro-chancellor and chairman, along with Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar Kusfa, Aysha Ahmad Mohammed, and Fatima Ahmed Juddun as members of the newly constituted governing council for the Federal University of Education, Kano.
Despite the appointments, academic staff at the institution are still uncertain about the new status because they have not received any official communication from the Federal Ministry of Education.
A staff member from FCE Kano, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed their confusion, stating that although the college has been accredited to offer NCE and degree programs concurrently, there has been no official announcement regarding the upgrade to a University of Education.
They believe that things will become clearer once the governing council is inaugurated.
It is worth noting that on May 20, 2015, the Federal Executive Council, chaired by then-President Goodluck Jonathan, approved the upgrade of four federal colleges of education to universities of education.
Ibrahim Shekarau, the Education Minister at the time, explained that the upgrade aimed to improve the quality of teacher education in the country.
In the meantime, a reliable source within the ministry revealed that FGC Zaria has been functioning with a dual-mode system, which is in violation of the law. The source mentioned that they bypassed the proper channels to seek approval from the Senate.
The source emphasized that it is not permissible to have both a Provost and a Vice Chancellor, as only the federal government holds the authority to determine the status of the colleges transitioning into universities.
On a separate note, Folasade Boriowo, the Director of Press at the federal Ministry of Education, expressed confidence that the federal government has diligently reviewed the list and stands by its decisions as the ultimate governing body.
