UniAbuja Faces Criticism for Allegedly Lowering Standards for VC Recruitment

Funmi Ogundare

A group known as the Concerned Citizens’ Forum has criticized the Governing Council of the University of Abuja for allegedly attempting to recruit an unqualified professor as the new vice-chancellor following the expiration of Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah’s tenure on July 1, 2024.

According to the group, certain individuals are determined to undermine academic and recruitment standards and administrative competence at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) institution.

The group’s President, Ajiboye Bolanle, and General Secretary, Tunde Adams, who expressed concerns in a statement, noted that the plan is to appoint a candidate lacking the necessary qualifications.

“To achieve this unwholesome objective, merit seems to have been disregarded,” the statement said.

The university had earlier advertised the vice-chancellor position, specifying the required standard qualifications, which clearly indicated that unqualified candidates should not apply.

A copy of the advertisement, published in the Daily Trust newspaper on March 15 and obtained by THISDAY, outlined that under the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1993 (as amended), candidates must be professors with at least five years of experience in a recognised university. Candidates were also required to demonstrate academic leadership, administrative capabilities, and a record of high-level academic productivity in reputable journals such as those defined by Thompson Reuters ISI, Web of Science, and other similar scholarly platforms.

However, after a new governing council was constituted, another advertisement was published on August 26 by the university with altered requirements. The new advertisement emphasised that candidates must be accomplished professors with a doctorate in one of the disciplines offered by the university, have a minimum of 10 years of active teaching and research experience, and show evidence of postgraduate supervision for at least five years, among other criteria.

The Concerned Citizens’ Forum claimed that the candidate being pushed forward does not meet these qualifications. The new advertisement appears to have lowered the standards to favour a specific individual hastily prepared for the role. They expressed concern that such actions could degrade the institution’s academic standing.

“By lowering the requirements for the vice-chancellor of a major institution located in the capital of the largest and most populous country in Africa, the university has become an object of ridicule,” the group stated.

They further argued that allowing such actions to take place in the FCT is unacceptable and damaging to the country’s reputation. They warned that appointing an unqualified candidate could demoralise staff and students and negatively impact the institution’s credibility.

The group condemned the move as an attempt to institutionalize mediocrity, calling it an affront to governance in the education sector. They urged the president to intervene and prevent the situation from escalating.

“There are many highly qualified and respected professors at the University of Abuja. Why lower the recruitment standards to accommodate a particular clique that will eventually harm the entire system? Aren’t we tired of the negative reputation the University of Abuja is becoming known for?” they questioned.

The group warned that if this injustice is allowed to proceed, it could set a dangerous precedent, encouraging other universities to appoint unqualified candidates based on nepotism, ethnic bias, and other unjust reasons.

“Institutionalising gross incompetence and mediocrity through improper recruitment of the Vice Chancellor should not be allowed. The position of Vice Chancellor in any federal university in Nigeria is not reserved for any specific tribe, gender, or group. It should be based on universally accepted qualifications that have been the standard over the years,” they stressed.

They stressed that the University of Abuja must not be subjected to lower standards or actions that would diminish its reputation among Nigerian academic institutions, calling for an end to the ongoing situation.