Federal University Wukari (FUW) in Taraba State is facing potential industrial unrest after a number of concerned faculty and staff members petitioned the Federal Ministry of Education to investigate allegations of corruption in the current process for selecting a vice chancellor.
Appointments should be based on merit and according to legal standards; the petition, which the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Bulus Zakari, signed, demanded transparency on the selection process.
Petitioners claim that one of the finalists does not have the academic rank of professor, which is necessary for the position of Vice-Chancellor, and that this information is not shown in the records.
“Stakeholders have expressed serious concerns regarding recent events surrounding the ongoing selection process,” Zakari stated.
One of the petitioners, Dr. Benjamin Ate Kefas, has a Ph.D., an MSc, and a B.Pharm from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, among other pharmaceutical degrees. In addition, his background as an educator, research scientist, and Assistant Professor of Neuro-oncology at UVA was lauded, with particular emphasis on his contributions to scientific inquiry, course design, and project administration.
The petition emphasised that their worry was not about any specific individual, but about maintaining an open, competitive, and merit-based appointment process.
University regulations and standards released by the Federal Government state that the Vice-Chancellor post requires the rank of professor with a minimum of ten years of experience, demonstrated integrity, and strong administrative competence. This is in accordance with what the committee pointed out.
Additionally, they voiced their displeasure with the screening procedure, pointing out that 36 out of 40 applicants were supposedly eliminated, leaving only four prospects. This situation begs the questions of openness and fairness.
To protect the university’s reputation and make sure the selection process is legitimate, the petitioners asked the federal government to step in.
We kindly request that the Federal Ministry of Education, which is responsible for overseeing federal universities, step in immediately to make sure that the current appointment procedure follows the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993 and its revisions, which are also called the Universities Autonomy Act.
We kindly ask the Ministry to:
Verify that the screening and selection process is open, fair, and in accordance with all laws by having it reviewed by an impartial third party.
Please ensure that each candidate who has been selected for the position of Vice-Chancellor have the necessary academic and administrative credentials.
The independence of the university’s governing board and the honesty of its appointment procedure must be protected from outside interference.
Transparent communication may reassure stakeholders, students, and staff that the final selection will be based on merit and due process.
“If any procedural irregularities are found, take the necessary corrective measures,” the petition added.