The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has strongly criticized the composition of the new university governing councils recently approved by President Tinubu, asserting that most appointees are “retired politicians” rather than technocrats needed for effective governance.
In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, ASUU’s national president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed disappointment with the appointments, stating, “Go and look at the list again, you will see that most of them are retired politicians. They are honorable this and honorable that. What does that tell us? That is how terrible the thing has become. And we can’t run our universities like this if we truly want genuine development to take place.”
Osodeke argued vehemently against appointing politicians to governing councils of educational institutions, asserting that such appointments hinder genuine development in the university system.
He further emphasized ASUU’s stance that it was illegal for the Federal Government to constitute new councils while the previous ones, dissolved over 10 months ago, were yet to complete their tenures as stipulated by the University Act.
ASUU’s criticism underscores ongoing concerns about governance and development in Nigerian universities, highlighting the need for technocratic leadership to foster academic excellence and institutional growth.