Reconstitute Governing Councils of federal higher institutions, Intersociety tells Tinubu

By Tony Okafor, Awka

A right group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has enjoined President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to reconstitute Governing Councils of federal universities, polytechnics and others dissolved about 10 months ago by the federal government.

The right group stated this in a statement by its board of trustees chairman, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, made available to the The RAZOR NEWSPAPER .

The group said the absence of the governing councils in the federal government higher institutions had made the Vice Chancellor, Rectors and Provosts behave like demigods and act arbitrarily.

The group said,”Those degree Awarding Institutions numbering at least 203 have been without ‘duly constituted Governing Councils’ since June 2023; a period of 10 months, following the Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu-led present Central Government of Nigeria’s unilateral dissolution of Boards and Councils of Federal Agencies, Parastatals and Institutions including the Governing Councils/Boards of all Federal Government-controlled Degree Awarding Institutions.

“It is also totally despicable and condemnable for the Government of Nigeria to have unilaterally and dictatorially sacked the Governing Councils of the affected Federal Government degree-awarding Institutions without recourse to their prescribed office tenures provided in the laid down statutes (.i.e. the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 1993 as amended in 2003 and 2012) and other rules and regulations governing such Degree Awarding Institutions.

“The present Government of Nigeria under Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu is hereby called upon to duly constitute the Governing Councils of the affected Degree Awarding Institutions. This must be done as a matter of uttermost immediacy and inexcusability.

“The Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu led Government of Nigeria must also purge itself of dictatorial tendencies and inclinations and conduct its public affairs strictly in line with the international democratic best practices including at all times adhering to due processes and procedures under the UN System which must include use of merit and avoid resorting to discrimination and segregation (structural violence) in all federal office appointments and postings.

The group added,”The reconstitution of the Governing Councils of Federal Universities, Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Education and other special Degree Awarding Institutions in Nigeria (.i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force Universities, etc) must also be carried out in full compliance with Sections 14 (3) and 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended; which commands “all authorities and persons” under Federal Tier of Government in Nigeria to steadily ensure ‘geopolitical (regional) and sub-national (states) balancing’ in all federal appointments and postings as well as prohibiting such appointments and postings from being discriminated or segregated upon and layered in biasness.

“The referenced Government of Nigeria must ensure that due and diligence processes are followed and adhered to in the appointment of new and substantive VCs as replacements for the outgoing ones and attempts to imposed stooges of the former or outgoing ones thwarted and reversed.”