Govt rejects choice of VCs on ethnic, religious bases
From Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi (Abuja) and Lawrence Njoku (Enugu)
GOVERNING councils of federal universities that adopt ethnic and religious considerations in selecting their vice chancellors are now to be sanctioned by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government, which condemned the growing clamour for reflection of the ethnic factor in the appointment of vice chancellors, warned at the weekend that it would not condone such agitations because universities are universal and not community institutions.
Education Minister, Dr. Sam Egwu, said whenever any governing council appoints a vice chancellor on either ethnic or religious grounds, the government would intervene.
Egwu, who spoke on a range of issues in the sector, explained that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's administration was ready to sign the contentious agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He told journalists in Abuja at the weekend that a recent meeting between the two parties, which would have culminated in the signing of the pact, was stalled because the university teachers misunderstood the position of the government over a minor clause.
After the meeting, ASUU accused the government of deceiving its members and kicked off a warning strike.
"The President has very good intentions, being an academic himself. Everybody in this country is interested in moving education forward. What is important now is the approach. I am still determined to make a difference, to make sure that this issue of incessant strikes and the lukewarm attitude to education is changed.
"I engaged ASUU in a discussion, and I'm somebody who doesn't like to hide my feelings. I have said that the amount ASUU is demanding is not unusual. They should have 100 or 200 per cent of what they are demanding. It is not bad. I would want teachers to be the highest paid in this country. I would want education to be given its proper place in this country. I told them (ASUU), and I have not changed my mind.
"On the particular day when the agreement was supposed to be signed, we invited them (ASUU), and the Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Team, Chief Gamaliel Onosode came. He is a respectable Nigerian and we all respect him. He has good intentions. He said he would want to see the approval on that issue. At that point, I said since I had not got the approval, it is you that would go to ASUU, because I don't want them to feel that I have deceived them. Go to ASUU and tell them that this is exactly the position, and let them give us time to get this document properly fashioned out. I said that in any case, I will be waiting, when you finish with them, come with them, if they need more clarification."
Egwu continued: "At that point, he (Onosode) went with the National Universities Commission's (NUC) Executive Secretary and the Permanent Secretary. While I was waiting to see all of them, they came back and said ASUU got annoyed and said they were going on strike and refused to come back and see me. What do I do? I had thought we were all moving in the same direction, but the next thing I heard was that the Ministry of Education had deceived them, they were going on strike. I am still determined that we get to a logical conclusion," he said.
Revisiting the appointment of vice chancellors, Egwu said he recently invited pro-chancellors of federal universities to advise them on the need to follow due process on the matter. Asked to state if the Federal Government would allow the Governing Council of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) to appoint a vice chancellor in a situation in which the Binis want their kinsman to head the school, Egwu described the issue as a sad development.
"There is no way a federal university can be turned to a community institution. Universities are universal centres of excellence, and appointment of vice chancellors cannot be reduced to where one comes from, or one's religion.
"Again, this is one of the problems. Before now, it was the (governing) council making three nominations and sending it to the Visitor (President). But ASUU said no, under autonomy, let everything be done by the Council. And the Council is made up of 80 per cent of the university community. Now, look at where this has landed us. There is almost no university where we don't have problems now. But due process must be followed. That is the position of Mr. President. And I have conveyed that to the pro-chancellors. We have no power, according to the law, to appoint vice chancellors, but of course on the issue of standards and due process, we shall not watch them default. Once they do that, the Federal Government will show that we can't allow that to happen.
"The UNIBEN issue is really pathetic, but we are watching that place with keen interest. We have given them a general guideline, we have told them that universities cannot be turned to ethnic or religious places, that whoever qualifies should be given the position, following the due process. There is nothing wrong with a Bini man becoming the vice chancellor. We have had Binis who have been vice chancellors in other universities, but to now insist that the VC has to be a Bini man, we don't have any problem with that, provided the person qualifies under the due process. But if they do something that is outside the laid down procedures, the Federal Government will not take it lying low, not just for UNIBEN, but for any other university.
"Any time a community or village wants to be in charge of a university, they are free to establish their own university. We have state universities all over, we have universities established by organisations, and the Federal Government has never interfered in appointment of vice chancellors and pro-chancellors for them. But once a university is Federal Government-owned, being run by tax-payers' money, it shall not be turned to a sectional or religious institution," Egwu said.
Lecturers at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) will today shun classrooms following a strike declared by ASUU.
In a statement made available to The Guardian in Enugu and signed by the union's chairman, Agu Gab Agu and Secretary, Sunny Udeze, the teachers said the decision was reached at their Congress held last week at the Law Faculty Hall.
They said despite the agreement the union reached with government during the warning strike to the effect that staff appraisals must be concluded within one month of the suspension of that action, nothing had so far been done.
According to Agu, all arrears of allowances due to lecturers in the mature students programme, postgraduate supervision and sandwich programmes, as well as election of two deputy vice chancellors by the University Senate for confirmation by the Council had not been carried out contrary to the agreement.
