By ERICJAMES OCHIGBO

The House of Representatives Committee on University Education, has invited the Minister of Education, Dr Morufu Alausa over allegations of indiscriminate sacking of vice chancellors of universities.

The committee equally claimed that Alausa was involved in the dissolution of governing councils of universities as petitioned.

The chairman of the committee, Rep. Abubakar Fulata (APC- Jigawa), announced the invitation at the committee’s meeting in Abuja.

Fulata said that the appearance of the minister was necessary due to series of petitions the committee recently received against him.

He said that some of the affected universities were, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Nnamdi Azikwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), among others.

The lawmaker said that the education sector was currently bedeviled with challenges of unstable leadership as a result of incidences of unilateral decisions on the dissolution of governing councils and removal of substantive vice chancellors.

He also noted the cases of appointment of acting vice chancellors among others.

Fulata said that such uncertainties posed a great danger to the sector, as they could build unnecessary disharmony among university officials.

According to him, this could potentially ruin the tenure and stability of the education system and abuse of relevant Acts and provision of the laws.

In his remarks, Prof. Abubakar Kari who led aggrieved staffers of the University of Abuja, said that the sacking of Prof. Aisha Maikudi as VC of their university as well as the dissolution of the council on Feb. 6, 2025, came as a surprise to them.

Kari who spoke on a petition tagged “Unwarranted Removal of Prof. Aisha Maikudi as Vice Chancellor and Dissolution of Governing Council of University of Abuja” decried the incident.

He said that Air Vice Marshal Ismaila Kaita (rtd) was also disengaged as chairman of the council while Sen. Lanre Tejuoso was appointed as the governing council and Prof. Patricia Lar, the acting vice chancellor.

According to Kari the act was against the provisions of the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment Act 2003 which clearly states how and why VC should be removed.

He explained that only the governing council of a university has the power to remove a vice chancellor.

He appealed to the legislators to intervene in order to immediately restore Maikudi to her position as well as members of the council to serve their terms as elected representatives of the University Senate and Congregation.

In their separate presentations, Maikudi and Kaita told the committee that till date, they had not received any letter regarding their disengagement. (NAN)