Varsities Without Governing Councils Operating Illegally – ASUU
According to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the absence of Governing Councils in all federal universities in Nigeria renders their activities illegal and endangers the institutions’ survival.
Speaking to our correspondent on Sunday, ASUU’s national president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, complained that the Bola Tinubu administration dissolved all Governing Councils in federal universities across the country in June 2023, claiming that it was dangerous and illegal for a university to operate without a governing council.
In brief, the Governing Council is the university’s governing authority and is in charge of the general control and supervision of the university’s policy, finances, and property, as well as its public relations.
Furthermore, governing councils are responsible for approving the university’s annual budget, supervising staff recruitment and promotion, approving new academic programmes, and ensuring that the university operates in accordance with its goals and objectives.
The nomination of the Vice-Chancellor is one of the Council’s most important responsibilities.
Osodeke said, “The Governing Councils in all federal universities have been cut off for over five months. These universities are running illegally, and the minister has become the Governing Council. There are many Vice-Chancellors whose tenures are ending soon and there is no Governing Council to start the process of recruiting new ones. The government should reconstitute the Governing Council to avert the danger of not having councils.
“In all the federal universities, there is no Governing Council, they were dissolved September 2023, it is like a deliberate action. Any decision taken by the VC or anyone now is illegal, the university cannot function properly because you need a council to award contracts, conduct employment, and other major decisions but the government seems not to be interested in forming any council.”
He insisted that the Federal Government reconstitute the Governing Councils of all universities as soon as possible, or restore those that were illegally dissolved last year.
Osodeke’s argument against the dissolved councils was that their removal was illegal, noting that they typically served four years and could only be removed if they committed an offence.
“The government should reconstitute the Governing Councils immediately or bring back the ones they illegally removed, which they didn’t follow due process to remove them.
“Their tenure is four years, for you to remove them they must have made an infraction, but you can’t just wake up one morning and say you dissolved them the law didn’t recognise that.”
A university Governing Council is made up of the Pro-Chancellor, who serves as Chairman, the Vice-Chancellor, External Members, a representative from the National Universities Commission, a representative from the University Senate, and a representative from the University Congregation.
Varsities Without Governing Councils Operating Illegally – ASUU
