The Federal Government has directed all the Vice Chancellors in Federal Universities whose tenure will be completed soon to nominate their deputies who will oversee the office of the Vice-Chancellor in a temporary capacity.
Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr Chris Maiyaki conveyed this in a circular dated May 28, 2024, to all the affected outgoing Vice-Chancellors.
The NUC’s letter to the outgoing Vice-Chancellors was sequel to a directive from the Federal Ministry of Education, informing the Commission about the end of tenure of some Vice-Chancellors and the urgent need to nominate through the recommendation of the Senate a Deputy Vice-Chancellor that would oversee office of the Vice-Chancellor until the new Governing Councils are inaugurated.
The leadership of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), had earlier rejected move by the Federal Government to appoint new Vice-Chancellors to replace the outgoing ones in the absence of the Governing Councils of the affected.
The Union insisted that the Minister of Education could not take the place of the Governing Councils by approving appointment of a Vice-Chancellor, which they argued is the prerogative of the Governing Council.
Accordingly, the NUC scribe in his letter to the outgoing Vice-Chancellors, specified that the appointment of a deputy VC to oversee the office of the Vice-Chancellor should be done through the recommendations of the Senate of the university.
Maiyaki added that the soon-to-be-inaugurated Governing Councils of the universities would appoint acting vice chancellors after their inauguration.
A copy of the letter obtained by newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja read: “I write, further to previous communication Ref. No. NUC/ES/138/Vol. 65/88 and dated 27 May 2024, to convey the directive of the Federal Ministry of Education, vide its letter Ref. No. FME/TE/CỰ/130/T6/458 and dated 28 May 2024 (copy attached), to the effect that Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities, who are rounding off their tenures, are to nominate, through the recommendation of their Senates, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor that will oversee the office of the Vice-Chancellor in a temporary capacity.
“The Governing Councils, after their inauguration, will appoint Acting Vice-Chancellors for a period not less than 6 months, during which they will commence the process of appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellors.
“This circular takes pre-eminence over our earlier communication on the same subject”.