…asks security agencies to investigate crisis

…seeks establishment of truth, reconciliation panel

The Civil Society Coalition for Educational Development has called on President Bola Tinubu to step into the ongoing leadership crisis at the University of Abuja, which amongst other things, recorded a protest by Professors in the institution against the appointment of Prof. Aisha Maikudi as the substantive Vice Chancellor.

The Coalition made up of 25 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in a statement signed by Dr Wisdom Chinedu in Abuja, alleged that the chaos trailing Maikudi’s announcement as substantive VC was orchestrated by certain political and power mongers, adding that she was a victim of ethnic gangup.

Expressing disappointment over the developments, the group recalled that the same scenario had played out during the appointment of the erstwhile Vice Chancellor, Prof Adelabu which it noted that through its recommendation to the then minister of education, saved the situation and restored peace to the institution.

While calling on the police and other security agencies to investigate the crisis that has engulfed the institution, the group also urged the Federal Government to set up a truth and reconciliation panel after Prof. Maikudi was appointed VC.

He said: We recall with nostalgia, our role in the appointment of the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Prof Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, we are therefore bold to state unequivocally that we are familiar with the trend of leadership selection succession in the citadel of learning in also two decades now and have adopted same method for the current crisis being orchestrated by a political vested interest among the ranks of professors in the institution.

“We wish to begin by expressing unequivocally, our frustration and disappointment over the recent protest by professors from the University of Abuja over the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor in the institution, describing it as an absurdity and a direct attack on due process, betrayal of their experience and direct assault on the globally demanded agenda to have more women and youths in leadership.

“After our careful investigation, our intel reveals that the protest was sponsored and engineered by vested interests for nefarious intentions and not out of genuine concerns to reposition the sector, we wonder why highly educated and knowledgeable individuals will allow themselves to be used for sinister purposes.

“Although we have written a demand to the Nigerian Police to swing into action by investigating and prosecuting certain names who attempted to bring in the CSOs to cause chaos and crisis to paint the Vice Chancellor in a bad light before the unsuspecting public.

We observed with incontrovertible evidence that the entire protest is about orchestrated plan to discredit Prof. Aisha Maikudi, the acting Vice Chancellor who had previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor without any record of failure or non-qualification, the desperation to pull her down because she is a woman, a youth and a northerner is antithetical to the development of education in Nigeria, especially at a time the global attention is on harnessing the numerous potentials of young people, especially women to boost growth.

“We hold very strongly and in unmistakable terms that Prof Aisha Maikudi among all the applicants for the job of Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja is the most qualified and the closest person to the job and should be immediately announced as substantive Vice Chancellor having served as Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Institution and currently acting Vice Chancellor of the same school

“We demand that President Bola Tinubu through the honourable Minister of Education wade into the ensuing crisis and give needed protection for the acting Vice Chancellor who is obviously a victim of ethnic gang-up, political orchestration and desperate power mongers in the University of Abuja, to stop those who are desperately attempting to ridicule his efforts in getting youths and women involved in leadership, maintaining that women have so much to offer in raising the bar of national development.

“We demand that the Nigeria Police invite trouble makers as espoused in our petition to the force to serve as a deterrent to others.

“We demand that the Minister after announcing Prof Aisha Maikudi as recommended by us, should set up a truth and reconciliation panel for post VC tussle era.”