The Nigerian government has said, henceforth, it will no longer interfere in the relationship between Governing Councils of tertiary institutions and the Management team but will not hesitate to wield the big stick at the slightest violation of extant laws.
The country’s Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, laid down the warning at a meeting in Abuja with Provosts of Colleges of Education and Rectors of Polytechnics.
A number of Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education management have been in a running battle with their Governing Councils over appointments of some Principal officers.
Most recent is the crisis at the University of Abuja, where over 50 Professors, some of whom are External Council members, are kicking against the modality used by the Governing Council Chairman to select a Vice Chancellor of the institution.
For Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who has been briefed by opposing parties, said the government will not interfere except where it has been established that extant laws have been violated.
The Minister also hinted that the Nigerian government will no longer entertain and accredit programmes in her tertiary institutions, which can not easily secure sustainable jobs for graduates.
Tunji Alausa used the opportunity to tell the gathering that government’s funding alone can not be sufficient, as he advised institutions to improvise genuine alternative means of attracting more funding, excluding fee hikes.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
