Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
The federal government has reminded university managers and governing councils that it remains the proprietor of all federal universities and governing councils and has mandated that a comprehensive situation report on activities within the institutions must be presented on a quarterly basis to the ministry of education through the National Universities Commission (NUC). It said a reporting template will be sent to all public federal universities.
It also directed that vice-chancellors and pro-chancellors must be accountable, transparent and upright as recent happenings have revealed that most of them have become regular visitors to the anti-graft agencies of EFCC and ICPC because of allegations of mismanagement, which is unhealthy to the system.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who made this known in Abuja during the inauguration of the governing councils of the University of Port-Harcourt and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said usually situations are allowed to deteriorate before the ministry is alerted through the media.
He charged the governing councils to play their roles with skills and efficiency and to be bold, innovative and responsive as it is expected that they would provide governance and the type of leadership that would stimulate rapid growth and make universities more competitive and attractive.
”The Federal Government of Nigeria remains the proprietor of all federal universities and governing councils must receive their directives and briefs from the Federal Ministry of Education. Councils are henceforth requested to begin submitting comprehensive situation reports on their activities to the ministry through the NUC at the end of every quarter, a reporting template will be sent to all universities.
“Recent happenings in some universities have raised serious questions about the quality of leadership in these institutions. A situation where vice-chancellors and their pro-chancellors would become regular visitors to EFCC and ICPC because of allegations of mismanagement is very unhealthy to the system.
“Work hard to support the management and senate of your universities to entrench an excellent academic culture based on research, innovation and quality scholarship. While pursuing your governance responsibilities, you are expected to govern by example.”
