Spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has stated that President
Muhammadu Buhari has surrounded himself with incompetent sycophants.The
former special adviser to ex-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, made
this known, in Zaria, Kaduna State.According to him, the NEF were not
happy with the way the president was steering the ship of the country.He
advised President Buhari to urgently address the shortcomings of his
administration.
The former Vice Chancellor criticised the president,
for terminating the appointment of 13 VCs.He said the president’s action
was against the law.On the recent sack of the VCs, Abdulahi said,
“Well, frankly speaking, university system has been virtually part of
all my life. But what is always critically importantfor a country, for
its institutions is to be guided by the rule of law. And anything that
runs outside the rules, regulations and laws, you find out that the
outcome is usually chaos. You see conflict of interest, and so on and so
forth.“Yes, historically, all Nigerian universities at the point of
their establishment are established by law. The one that I know most is
the Ahmadu Bello University, and it has to do with the Office of the
Registrar as well as the Office of the Vice Chancellor. And of course,
laws, when they are made, at various points in time, there are certain
circumstances that need to be reviewed in line with the law to fit such
circumstances in the evolution of that institution. And all universities
are supposed to have laws and regulations.“To come to this specific and
recent happening about the dissolution of governing councils, the need
for the sacking of vice chancellors that are in office, I think the
resolution of the contentions must be found somewhere in the laws
establishing universities, and for me, until recently, I was the
Pro-Chancellor, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. I remember
very well the most recent university laws that were amended had
conferred specific powers on the governing councils of universities to
have sole responsibility for the appointment of their principal
officers, including the Vice Chancellors.“Before then, usually, the
councils play a role up to the point when three names areshortlisted
among so many that have shown interest in becoming vice chancellorsof
these universities and eventually these three names are sent to the
visitor of the university. And the visitor can use his discretion to
take any one of the three names regardless of other recommendations
that the council may have made in respect to those three.“It was his
prerogative to pick any of the three and that’s okay. But in the course
ofthe amendment of these laws and particularly with the pressure that
was coming from the academic staff over the years, wanting more
autonomy, quote and unquote, autonomy for Nigerian universities, and I
think associated with the last long ASUU’s strikes, I think the Obasanjo
administration acceded to this, if not all, some aspects of university
autonomy.“
Buhari should be careful about Nigerian politics
especially the politics of the merger of APC, who are in the government
to pursue their selfish agenda. Buhari should not be too rigid on
permanent friends and enemies. He should be very careful with sycophants
both in his cabinet, party and National Assembly.”
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