President Bola Tinubu has directed a total and comprehensive review of the recently announced governing boards of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Bayo Onanuga , Special Adviser to the President on Communications and Strategy, said the reviews must be completed before the inauguration and retreat being planned for the nominees.
The directives, he said followed feedbacks to the President, which revealed that the selection process has been lopsided and did not reflect the federal character principle
It will be recalled that you the Federal Ministry of Education had recently released names of nominees for chairmen, Pro-Chancellors, and members of the boards and councils of universities, Polytechnics, and colleges of education.
It also announced that the inauguration and retreat for the nominees will take place on 31 May.
This followed threats by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, to embark on strike if the government failed to constitute the Governing boards of the tertiary institutions within two weeks, on the 14th of May, 2024.
In a swift reaction to avert the proposed industrial dispute, the Ministry of Education released names of the institutions’ governing boards, with a promise to expedite action on their inauguration.
However, according to Onanuga, “public reactions showed that the nominations did not reflect the federal character of the country as some states got just one nomination, while some others got many.
“In directing a complete review of the list of members, President Tinubu acknowledges the feedback across the country”.
He revealed that the President wants to ensure strict compliance with the principle of federal character as entrenched in the constitution.
According to Onanuga, ” the review will take into consideration national spread and ensure every part of the country is adequately represented”
It is however not clear as to the time line for the review and when the Councils will now be inaugurated by the federal government.
