Prof MK Aliyu

My attention was drawn to an article in the Education Monitor tabloid of Monday, 25 February 2025, written by what the tabloid referred to as the ex-ABU ASUU Chairman. The article was supposedly a rejoinder to a discussion I had with Nagarta Radio, Kaduna, on the changing dynamics of university administration in Nigeria and its implications for university education. The discussion took place during a weekly phone-in program that focuses on topical issues of public interest.

Prof. MK Aliyu

The radio station was concerned about recent events leading to the sacking of some Vice Chancellors and their Governing Councils at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja. During the discussion, I cited the recent misconduct and miscarriage of justice in the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor at ABU, aiming to draw the attention of the federal government and other stakeholders to prevent ABU from suffering a similar fate as the two universities mentioned.

Sadly, the rejoinder by the former ASUU Chairman, ABU Chapter, deliberately ignored the issues raised during the radio program. Instead, it focused on personal attacks against me regarding my tenure as Acting Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University. While it is not in my character to engage in public disputes with a younger colleague, especially when discussions become personal, I find it necessary to clarify the issues raised both in the radio program and in the rejoinder itself.

For the record, the personal attack in the rejoinder, which appears to satisfy the rhetorical standards of an archaeologist, falls far below the analytical rigor expected of a historian. It does not deserve much attention.

In the rejoinder, the former ABU ASUU Chairman insisted that the Council acted within the law by appointing a candidate with a lower score instead of the highest-scoring candidate. However, this raises a moral question that legality alone cannot address. The fact that something is legal does not necessarily mean it is morally right. While the law is a system of rules enforced by a governing body, morality is a set of ethical principles guiding right and wrong behavior.

The key issue here is that the appointment of a candidate other than the highest scorer appears to have been politicized, possibly to serve the political interests of the Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, who belongs to the ruling party in Bauchi State. The candidate he announced as the new Vice Chancellor was a former Commissioner of Lands and Survey in Bauchi State. Was this appointment a political favor or a reward for past services rendered to Alhaji Yayale or his political allies?

Laws are meant to ensure that society functions better and more peacefully. Civil law is not intended to regulate the entire spectrum of human conduct, which is where morality comes in. This is precisely where the Council Chairman missed the point.

The Council lacked ethical consideration, an essential principle in decision-making that ensures transparency and prevents harm or injustice to individuals and the system. Alhaji Yayale, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation who once oversaw the Federal Character Commission—an agency responsible for ensuring federal character compliance in public service—should have known that appointing a Vice Chancellor from his own state under his chairmanship was ethically problematic, even if the candidate had been the highest scorer.

Instead of learning from history—such as the controversy at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, where the Council Chairman from Katsina State appointed a Vice Chancellor from his own state—the ABU Council repeated the same mistake. The outcome in ABU is expected to be even worse, especially considering that, unlike in Abuja, the announced candidate did not even score the highest.

The University Miscellaneous Act of 1993, before its amendment, allowed the Council to nominate and recommend three candidates with the highest scores to the Visitor (the President), who would then make the final appointment based on government discretion and considerations such as federal character. In such cases, the government could not be accused of violating the law. However, with the amendment transferring this power to the Council, ethical considerations must be taken into account.

The same Council that advertised the position, set the criteria for selecting the best candidate, ensured all candidates passed integrity screenings by law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, and conducted interviews to determine the most qualified person, cannot suddenly shift the goalpost at the announcement stage by introducing undisclosed criteria. This lack of transparency fuels doubts and suspicions about the fairness of the process.

The rejoinder also mentioned a past ABU appointment where the Council selected Professor Abdullahi Mustapha (then Vice Chancellor of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University), who ranked second, instead of Professor Abdullahi Zuru (from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto), who ranked first. However, the rejoinder deliberately omitted the reasons behind that decision.

In that particular case, ABU was experiencing a leadership crisis that resulted in two Acting Vice Chancellors in quick succession, with the possibility of a third. To stabilize the university, Professor Zuru was deemed unsuitable because he had never been associated with ABU in any capacity—as a visiting lecturer, external examiner, or stakeholder. Appointing an outsider at such a turbulent time would have further destabilized the university.

Thus, instead of appointing someone who would require two to three years to understand ABU’s internal dynamics before taking meaningful action, the Council chose Professor Mustapha. This decision, unlike the current one, was justified.

In the present case, Professor Sadiq Zubair Abubakar, the highest-scoring candidate, has been with ABU since graduating as an Agricultural Engineer from the university. After completing his National Youth Service Corps in 1987, he rose through the ranks to become a professor in 2006. He served as Executive Director of the National Agricultural Extension and Rural Liaison Services, where he initiated a 3-star hotel project that significantly boosted ABU’s Internally Generated Revenue. He was also Vice Chancellor of the revoked Federal University of Education, Owerri, and later Vice Chancellor of Capital City University, Kano. Additionally, he served as Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies and later as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) at ABU.

Compared to the appointed candidate, Professor Abubakar had submitted over 130 publications for promotion, while the candidate announced by Alhaji Yayale had submitted only 23, as reported by the ABU Bulletin of Wednesday, 5 February. This glaring disparity further supports our argument that the highest scorer, with superior academic and administrative credentials, was unfairly denied the appointment in favor of a politically favored candidate.

The rejoinder attempted to discredit me personally for insisting on merit-based appointments at ABU. As a Nigerian, a bonafide Northerner, and an academic with ties to ABU—albeit not as a former student or current staff member beyond a sabbatical—I have every moral right to express concern over this flawed decision. The wrong decision made by the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed-led Governing Council will negatively impact ABU in the short and long term.

Some candidates were disqualified over serious moral issues and chose not to challenge their disqualification due to the credibility of the allegations against them. Instead, they sought to align themselves with potential appointees, only to switch allegiance once the Council announced a different candidate. This kind of opportunism reflects poorly on the integrity of those involved.

The rejoinder neither redeemed nor absolved the Council from wrongdoing. Instead, it reinforced our concerns about ABU being subjected to an improper and self-serving appointment process. While some may argue that the decision did not violate any legal provisions, we maintain that moral considerations are distinct from legal technicalities.

I am confident that the Federal Government will investigate this matter and take necessary corrective measures. Alhaji Yayale Ahmed’s actions have tarnished his legacy, and ABU must not be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. The university’s academic excellence should never be compromised for selfish interests.

This is my position against whatever rejoinder that supports wrongdoing and morally unassailable actions.

Prof. Ashafa, a directing staff member on sabbatical at NIPSS, Kuru, wrote from Zaria in Kaduna State, Nigeria.