The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has condemned the absence of duly and lawfully constituted Governing Councils in the Nigerian government (federal) universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, Colleges of Education and other degree awarding institutions.
The civic organisation said this in a report on Friday titled: “Absence of governing councils in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education: vice chancellors, rectors and provosts now demigods and outlaws,” which was signed by the principal officers, Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche, Obianuju Igboeli and Chidinma Udegbunam
SaharaReporters reports that currently, there are at least 203 federal government controlled Degree Awarding Institutions in Nigeria including 92 monotechnics, 43 universities, 41 polytechnics and 27 Colleges of Education.
However, Intersociety regretted that for the past 10 months, following the unilateral dissolution of Boards and Councils of Federal Agencies, Parastatals and Institutions including the Governing Councils/Boards of all Federal Government-controlled Degree Awarding Institutions, the 203 degree awarding Institutions, have remained without “duly constituted Governing Councils.”
The report stated that situation has made the Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts to now become “demigods and outlaws”.
The report partly read: “It is also totally despicable and condemnable for the Government of Nigeria to have unilaterally and dictatorially sacked the Governing Councils of the affected Federal Government Degree Awarding Institutions without recourse to their prescribed office tenures provided in the laid down statutes (.i.e. the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 1993 as amended in 2003 and 2012) and other rules and regulations governing such Degree Awarding Institutions.
“The present Government of Nigeria under Bola Tinubu is hereby called upon to duly constitute the Governing Councils of the affected Degree Awarding Institutions. This must be done as a matter of uttermost immediacy and inexcusability.
“The Bola Tinubu-led Government of Nigeria must also purge itself of dictatorial tendencies and inclinations and conduct its public affairs strictly in line with the international democratic best practices including at all times adhering to due processes and procedures under the UN System which must include use of merit and avoid resorting to discrimination and segregation (structural violence) in all federal office appointments and postings.
“The reconstitution of the Governing Councils of Federal Universities, Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education and other special Degree Awarding Institutions in Nigeria (.i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force Universities, etc) must also be carried out in full compliance with Sections 14 (3) and 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended; which command “all authorities and persons” under Federal Tier of Government in Nigeria to steadily ensure ‘geopolitical (regional) and sub-national (states) balancing’ in all federal appointments and postings as well as prohibiting such appointments and postings from being discriminated or segregated upon and layered in biasness.
“The referenced Government of Nigeria must ensure that due and diligence processes are followed and adhered to in the appointment of new and substantive VCs as replacements for the outgoing ones and attempts to imposed stooges of the former or outgoing ones thwarted and reversed.”
The report added, “Shockingly and alarmingly, the absence of the duly constituted Governing Councils in the above named Degree Awarding Institutions controlled by Nigeria’s Federal Government has turned their Vice Chancellors, Provosts and Rectors into demigods and outlaws; to the extent that they have been reported to have engaged, unchecked, in different types of illegalities and immoral conducts with reckless abandon in addition to dictatorial tendencies,
“Imposition of unlawful and extortionist levies, promotion of favouritism and nepotism, contract inflation and kickbacks and inauguration of white elephant projects; inordinate ambition including the imposition of successors to their office posts and unlawful appointment of faculty deans, departmental heads and provosts of colleges of medicine among others.”
