The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVC) has faulted the manner the vice-chancellors of 12 federal universities were relieved of their jobs recently, saying that it is wrong to unceremoniously remove the university administrators while their tenures were still running.
In a statement Thursday by the Committee’s Secretary General, Prof Michael Faborode, the vice-chancellors said that their colleagues should be allowed to complete their tenures.
The committee also said that proper statutory and transparent procedure should be followed if the vice-chancellors were accused of any wrongdoings, wondering why the Federal Government should chose the pages of newspaper to remove the vice chancellors.
According to the committee, the power to appoint and remove a substantive vice chancellor rests squarely with the governing council of the university and not executive fiat.
The statement reads in part, “The subtle usurpation of the statutory function of the governing council by the minister in appointing the new VC’s does not augur well for the integrity and good health of the Nigerian university system. Quite rightly, the President had expressed concern about the poor ranking of Nigerian universities, but incidentally, good governance is one of the crucial ingredients of attaining world class university status, hence the step represent a minus for our system.”
The vice chancellors, however, urged the federal government to reverse itself in the interest of the good intention of President Muhammadu Buhari.
-Leadership