Academic activities in Nigeria’s public universities are once again facing potential disruption as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected a recent list of governing board members approved by the federal government.
ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, has labeled the list as illegal and claims it fails to address the reasons behind the union’s two-week strike notice.
On Friday, May 17, 2024, the Federal Ministry of Education published a list of appointees for the governing boards of 111 federal institutions. However, Professor Osodeke swiftly responded, denouncing the list as unacceptable.
Professor Osodeke asserts that the union’s primary demand is the reinstatement of boards that were allegedly dissolved illegally before their tenures had expired. He indicated that the union would reconvene on Monday, May 28, to evaluate the situation and decide on their next course of action.
This conflict traces back to June 2023, when President Bola Tinubu ordered the dissolution of the boards of all federal tertiary institutions. This decision sparked dissatisfaction among university faculty, leading institutions like the University of Abuja to initiate strikes.
ASUU maintains that governing boards are legally mandated to oversee the election of new vice-chancellors, a role that should not be assumed by either the outgoing vice-chancellor or the minister of education.
Meanwhile, the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Chris Maiyaki, has appealed to ASUU to reconsider their stance in the interest of their students.
