The Senate members of the University of Abuja have petitioned the Minister of Education, accusing the Governing Council of manipulating the process for appointing the institution’s Vice-Chancellor.
In the petition signed by 43 professors and dated January 20th, they allege that the council violated the Federal Ministry of Education’s guidelines for appointing a Vice-Chancellor.
These guidelines outline a four-step process to ensure fairness and transparency.
The Senate members claim that the appointment of Professor Aisha Maikudi as the Vice-Chancellor disregarded the requirement for candidates to have at least 10 years of professorial experience.
They provided documentary evidence, including the Ministry’s handbook issued in November 2023, to support their case.
According to the petition, in August 2024, the university advertised for additional applications without revoking the original criteria set in March.
However, during the shortlisting process, the council allegedly ignored the advertised requirements.
Among approximately 90 applicants, Professor Maikudi, who reportedly has only two years of experience as a professor and a Google Scholar h-index ranking of zero, was declared the winner.
The Senate members also accused the council of sidelining the legally mandated selection board.
Instead, they claim the council formed an unauthorized committee to create scoring criteria, shortlist candidates, and direct the board to approve their decisions without proper consultation.
“The senate representatives outrightly rejected this due to its illegality,” the petition states.
The professors argue that the process lacked transparency and fairness, leading to what they describe as a breach of trust.
They called for the immediate dissolution and reconstitution of the Governing Council to ensure a fresh and lawful appointment process.
“We have lost total faith and confidence in the Governing Council and urge the Minister of Education to take corrective action to restore the integrity of the process,” the petition concluded.
