Most stakeholders and keen observers on the unfolding events in the University of Abuja are undivided that the beleaguered institution is gradually coming back from the brinks since the emergence of the current Vice Chancellor Prof. Michael Adikwu. AUGUSTINE OKEZIE explores the changes in the university so far
One would assume that with the array of eminent academics with enviable curriculum vitae and impressive career in the system, the University of Abuja would truly be a citadel of learning and an ivory tower to behold. Truth is that the reverse has been the case. 25 years after its inception in 1988, and with over N35 billion spent, what you have is a temporary site at Gwagwalada that is a caricature of a glorified secondary school and a permanent site along Giri Airport Road that is defined by inadequate, poorly built, abandoned and dilapidated buildings that dot the massive but utilized land mass of the university.
Besides infrastructure, academic development in the university has also been woeful as it has been characterized by epileptic work schedule, owing to incessant industrial actions often by the local ASUU and sometimes from their national bodies. Even when in session, tales of malpractices by the lecturers and students are common place.
Before now, the internal administration of the university has not been left out in this miasma. From the Registrar to the cleaners, it has been a complete circuit and full complement of indiscipline, indolence, insubordination and dereliction of duty, all of which truncate growth in the university. Government has responded to all these by setting up a number of Visitation Panels, the last one which was the Presidential special Visitation panel of 2012. The report of that panel had far reaching recommendation including sack of the Prof. Adelabu led management of the university and that the Vice Chancellor to be appointed next should come from outside the university. This particular recommendation was sequel to the intractable problems of the university that had pitched the dons into two main divides and several but nefarious cleavages.
Unfortunately, the government has failed or refused to issue a White Paper on the recommendations despite repeated demands by the local ASUU, the National body and even the Council of the university. However, the council at one of its recent joint meetings with the unions declined to further urge government to release the White Paper arguing that since government had in its wisdom set up the panel, which has submitted its report, government will do what is needful with it. Nevertheless, it is understood that council has been quietly picking and subtly implementing some of the recommendations of the Panel. A good example is the recent appointment of a new Vice chancellor. All the 10 professors invited by the selection Board for interview were from outside the university, which made it appear as if none of the “internal applicants” were good enough. But which, in reality, was an acceptance of the Panel’s recommendation.
It was further understood that a lot of the care and diligence was put into the selection and appointment of the new Vice Chancellor. Indeed sources say that it was one exercise that tasked the experience of Gen. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia (rtd), the Pro-chancellor and chairman of the Council, whose successful establishment and nurturing of the University of Benin in the 1970s informed government decision to recall him from retirement to rescue the dying University of Abuja. Dr. Ogbemudia’s Council, the 7th in the university’s annals received an unprecedented 123 applicants from eminent professors. The joint Council and Senate Board which he chaired, selected the ten professors that were interviewed, from which group three were recommended to council which has the mandate to appoint anyone of the three as Vice Chancellor.
The selection Board forwarded Professor Umaru Danbatta, Abdulraheem Lawal and Micheal Adikwu with 83 per cent, 73 per cent and 65 per cent respectively, to the council. It was gathered that a group in the Council insisted on professor Danbatta since he scored the highest votes and his northwest geopolitical Zone hadn’t any of the university’s principal officers. This group, made up six (6) council members abstained from voting as it became clear to them that the other group made of eight (8) members was going to win.
They were reported to have blank ballot papers, while the other 8 voted for Professor Adikwu. The Universities (miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment Act 2003, provides that the selection Board recommends three candidates to the Council from which one will be appointed. This was the power the previous law gave to the Visitor of the university, before the crave for autonomy vested who comes 1st , 2nd or 3rd . What was important was that three persons were recommended by the selection Board and that one of the three was appointed.
There was also an objection to the participation of three members of the Council in the voting exercise on the ground that they had applied for the office themselves. It was learnt that on the previous occasions council members who applied and were interviewed but were not appointed, participated in the voting for person that finally emerged. That on this occasion, none of the three professors were invited for interview and that it would be wrong to further exclude them from council duties for merely expressing their intention.
On the issue of Federal Character vis-a vis the principal officers of the university, namely Vice Chancellor, registrar, Librarian and Bursar. The North Central from where professors Lawal and Adikwu hails was ineligible since the Librarian and Bursar are from that zone, while the Northwest zone from where Prof. Danbatta comes, and has no principal officer, was best suited. Danbatta was set for victory. But that was not to be. The Federal Character prescriptions are only general guides. It must conform to the law. In this instance it was gathered that the guide ought to have been used at the selection Board level, which was bound by law to recommend three to Council. That it should have recommended only candidate from zones that were free from Federal Character restrictions, namely: North-west, South-east, South-south and the South-west.
.But the members who lost out are not taking the defeat lightly. Three of them, Dr. Mukhtar Mohammed, Dr. Rasheed Raji and Dr. Ifeyinwa Okoli have promptly headed to the National Industrial Court, (NIC) where they have a former colleague, Dr. Fishim. The injunction was granted on the basis of their exparte application seek to restrain the Council from doing an act that has already been done. It sought to restrain Council from acting on the selection Board’s recommendation and or appointing a Vice Chancellor. The new Vice Chancellor was appointed on the 30th of June 2014, and he took over on the 1st of July, 2014. The application for injunction was dated 2nd July, 2014, and it was heard and granted on the 7th of July, 2014. Lawyers for the University, Wale Olanipekun & Co, said that their efforts are poorly conceived and pursued, which would be thrown into the bin without much ado.
Providence however saw the emergence of Professor Michael Adikwu, the most unlikely of all the candidates. He is a Prof. of Pharmacy, a course not offered in the university. He is a from Benue state in the North Central, an unflavored zone for the job. According to an inside source, he was least expected, but Prof. Adikwu emerged as one of the three candidates, which became the nemesis of the schemers that were caught napping and became victims of their own conspiracy, whatever that means.
Professor Adikwu has since swung into action and has greatly stabilized the university with the full restoration of academic activities, prompt payment of salaries, holding of successful students union elections, graduation of veterinary students and the revitalization of the moribund center for distance learning programmes among others.
What is important though is that Prof. Adikwu has age on his side. He is only 50 years old, he has a good pedigree, coming from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and very good exposure as the immediate past coordinator of the STEP-B project through, the world Bank IDA system, for the improvement of higher education in Nigeria and has worked or consulted with USAID, UNESCO, DFID as well as the Nigerian ministries of Education, Finance and Science & Technology, all of which will now come in handy. At the STEP-B, he built a fresh and strong team from a very diverse and complex background, which he is now doing at the University of Abuja.
