Management of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi has denied contravening any law in the process of filling the soon-to-be vacant office of the Vice Chancellor of the University insisting that due process is duly and strictly being followed.
The assertion was made by the Director, the Directorate of Information of the University, Zailani Bappa while reacting to allegations by the University Branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the process of appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor.
Zailani Bappa said that “The University Management did not violate any law, yes, there’s not Governing Council now, in the absence of that, the Minister of Education performs the responsibilities of the Council. He performs that until such a time a Council will be constituted.”
He added that, “Let me give you an example, ASUU itself, why has it been silent over so many things that have been happening in the absence of the Council that it is only the issue of the Vice Chancellor that is their problem?
According to him, “In the absence of the Council, there were promotions that were released across all the University. Even during the last Convocation, all the communication for the programme were done with the Minister of Education, though the issue of convocation is the purview of the Chancellor.”
Zailani Bappa added, “What I want you to know about University administration is that, of course, employment of staff, promotion and discipline are the responsibility of the Council, but, in the absence a Council, the Minister of Education performs the responsibilities.”
“All these that they are alleging that people were placed in offices to act, of course, there must be acting officers but for Six months after the expiration of the 6 months and no substantive officer, it can be renewed for another 6 months,” he stressed.
The Director of Information further said “The Registrar and the Bursar are all acting. But the University has advertised for the offices that are vacant, ASUU did not mention that to you, including the University Librarian.”
According to him, “All these procedures are done in the absence of the Governing Council, it can be started and concluded with the Minister of Education supervising the process on behalf of the Federal Government, don’t forget that the Universities belong to the Federal Government and it can reconstitute the Council at anytime it deems fit and necessary.”
He also said that, “All these things are procedural and there are a lot of salient things that are about the laws but a vacuum must not be left.”
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“Because of that, the advertisement that was placed was done in order in accordance with the law because, 6 months before the expiration of the tenure of the Vice Chancellor, the announcement must be published, that is the law,” he added.
Zailani Bappa added that “The tenure of the present Vice Chancellor was coming to the end, the position must be advertised and it was done within the realms of the law, no law was broken as alleged by ASUU.”
According to him, “The process of appointing a substantive Vice Chancellor, it is vested in the Council which will after going through the submissions will recommend to the Visitor (Federal Government) which will then announce the person.”
He also said, “Therefore, the Minister can perform that responsibility in the absence of the Council, that is exactly what the University Management is doing, so, there is no any contradiction here.”
“The issue of acting were done within the purview of the Laws, no any of the laws of the University were broken as far as the Management is concerned,” he added.
Zailani Bappa concluded by saying that, “All the observations raised by ASUU are noted because the relevance of the Union is to call attention to anything not done properly for correction but in this case nothing was done by the Management of the University to contravene any law. Whatever the Federal Government decides, let it be done and it must be done in the absence of the Council.”
. TheWitness
