UNIJOS Staff, Students Protest, Demand Transparency in VC Selection Process

By Seriki Adinoyi

Staff members and students of the University of Jos, Plateau State, have staged a peaceful protest to urge the federal government to ensure transparency in the selection process of the vice chancellor of the institution.

Thirteen candidates, all from the university, are vying for the position of the vice chancellor of the institution, as the tenure of the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Sebastian Maimako, ends in few weeks’ time.

An inside source had disclosed that there was yet to be a substantive replacement for the university’s Governing Council Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh, who passed on in February, while the University Act stipulates that the screening of the new vice chancellor will be done by the chairman of the council.

The source added that the lacuna is the basis for the controversy in shopping for Maimako’s successor.

He revealed that section 4(2), (3), & (4) of the University Act clearly states that where vacancy occurs in the post of a vice chancellor, the Governing Council shall advertise the vacancy in a reputable journal or widely read newspaper in Nigeria, specifying the qualities of who may apply for the post, the terms and conditions of service application to the post, and thereafter, draw up a shortlist of suitable candidates for the post for consideration.

He said: “The council shall then constitute a search team consisting of a member of the council, who is not a member of the Senate as chairman. The council shall constitute two members of the Senate, who are not members of the council, one of whom shall be a professor; two members of the congregation, who are not members of councils; one of whom shall be a professor.

“Again, the council shall identify and nominate for consideration suitable persons who are not likely to apply for the post of their own volition.”

The source stated that the above stated procedure and many more are yet to be followed in the selection process, which is expected to happen soon, adding that if there is no intervention to correct this, it will generate into a big crisis in the institution and disrupt academic activities.

Meanwhile, addressing journalists yesterday, the Secretary of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) of the institution, Mr. Muplang Kangpe, decried that the process for the selection has been truncated, describing the move as an orchestrated plan to favour a particular candidate, stating that the council be given a free hand to continue the process without interference.

Kangpe explained that the process, which has commenced since December 2020, was to be concluded with an announcement of a new vice chancellor by April 23, 2021, adding that with the suspension of the process by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the power of the Governing Council has been usurped by the commission.

He also stated that the suspension of the selection process has created unnecessary tension within the university community as well as raised suspicions among the candidates vying for the position.

“We, therefore, call on President Mohammadu Buhari to caution the NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdulrasheed Abubakar, to desist from interfering with the activities of the Governing Council, which is appointed to oversee the activities of the university on behalf of the visitor.

“Also, we call on the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to direct the conclusion of the selection process to enable a smooth emergence of a new vice chancellor,” he stated.

Staging a peaceful protest at the entrance of the university, students of the institution also called on the federal government to ensure the right thing is done.

The Speaker of the Student Union Government (SUG) parliament of the university, Nanshin Lakai, said the protest was in solidarity with the staff members of the school.