The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), representing the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) chapter, has formally addressed a petition to the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, concerning alleged misconduct, authoritarianism, and misuse of authority by the university's Pro-Chancellor, Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, who also serves as the Chairman of the Governing Council.
In the petition, dated October 21, 2024, and signed by Chairperson Comrade Kingsley Ubaoji, ASUU expressed concerns that if the troubling dictatorial behaviors exhibited by Mbadiwe are not addressed, it could jeopardize industrial harmony within the institution.
ASUU contended that since the inauguration of the Councils of Federal Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education on July 4, 2024, the Pro-Chancellor has persistently ignored the Council's authority, “acting independently and making decisions without adequate consultation and approval.”
The petition highlighted that the Pro-Chancellor has made specific unilateral decisions without the full assembly of the Council.
“Section 2(1) of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2023, regarding the 'Composition of Council,' states: There shall be a council for each of the Universities consisting of-
“(a) the Pro-Chancellor; (b) the Vice-Chancellor; (c) the Deputy Vice-Chancellors; (d) one representative from the Federal Ministry responsible for Education; (e) four individuals representing diverse interests and broadly reflective of the entire Federation, appointed by the National Council of Ministers;
“(f) four individuals appointed by the Senate from among its members; (g) two individuals appointed by the Congregation from among its members; and (h) one individual appointed by Convocation from among its members,” the petition further elaborated.
ASUU stated that at the time of the Council's inauguration, appointments had only been made concerning sections 2(1)(a) and 2(1)(e). It emphasized that despite this incomplete composition, the Pro-Chancellor, along with the four individuals appointed under section 2(1)(e), moved forward to appoint an Acting Vice Chancellor and announced a vacancy for the Registrar position. This action was taken without including representatives from the university's internal constituencies, specifically the Senate (4), Congregation (2), and Convocation (1).
The petition indicated that ASUU NAU had sent a letter to the Pro-Chancellor in September, urging for the proper formation of the Council prior to any further actions being taken. It highlighted that the Pro-Chancellor was reminded of the legal provisions and warned that any actions taken contrary to the law would be deemed null and void and would face opposition.
Although ASUU did not receive an official response to their correspondence, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi, on September 11, 2024, promptly issued a timetable for the election to fill the vacant positions of representatives for the Senate, Congregation, and Convocation, as stipulated in Sections 2(1)(f), 2(1)(g), and 2(1)(h) of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions)(Amendment) Act.
The petition indicated that despite ASUU NAU's protest letter, the Pro-Chancellor persisted in acting independently by announcing the vacancy for the Vice Chancellor position prior to the election of members from the internal constituencies.
It was lamented that the Chairman disregarded all efforts made by the internal members of the Council during the inaugural meeting to persuade him to retract the vacancy announcement or to issue a corrigendum to eliminate certain concerning eligibility criteria for the Vice Chancellor position.
When the Senate convened on Wednesday, October 16, to address this matter, members voiced significant concerns regarding the authoritarian approach of the Chairman of the Council and the lack of rectification of the troubling eligibility criteria published for the selection of a new Vice Chancellor, which implied that the advertisement may have been influenced by an individual's curriculum vitae.
In response, the Senate postponed the nominations and called for a reassessment of the concerning criteria in alignment with the established and widely accepted standards published by other universities and previously by NAU.
The petition further noted that the Senate sought a joint meeting with the Council to address these issues; however, the Pro-Chancellor independently selected two professors to serve on the interview panel for the Registrar position, disregarding the Senate's authority.
It was with great astonishment that we discovered the Chairman has scheduled the selection interview for the position of Registrar of the University on Wednesday, 23 September 2024, without prior consultations with other Council members.
Our representatives within the Council have conveyed to us, and we trust their information, that the Council meeting has been postponed to a future date, which is still to be announced, in November 2024.
As of the date of this correspondence, no notifications regarding any Council meeting or selection process have been communicated to them, the petition stated.
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