Academic operations in Nigeria’s public universities face potential suspension due to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) rejecting the federal government’s newly approved governing council members list.
Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU president, declared the list illegal and unresponsive to the union’s two-week strike notice.
The federal Ministry of Education announced appointees to the governing boards of 111 federal institutions on Friday, May 17, 2024.
Osodeke responded to the announcement in an interview with AITonline, stating the list does not meet the union’s demands for the reinstatement of previously dissolved boards. He claimed that they were illegally dissolved before the expiration of their tenure.
The president noted that ASUU will meet on Monday, May 28, to evaluate the situation and decide on further actions.
In June 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved the dissolution of all federal tertiary institution boards, leading to strikes at universities, including the University of Abuja.
By law, university governing boards oversee the election of new vice chancellors, a role not assigned to the outgoing vice chancellor or the minister of education.
However, Chris Maiyaki, acting executive secretary of the National Universities Commission, has urged ASUU to consider the students’ welfare and halt its plans for action.
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