A coalition of civil society groups on Wednesday protested to the National Assembly premises, insisting that the sack of the Vice Chancellor, VC, of the National Open University of Nigeria and 12 other VCs of newly established Federal Universities across the nation by President Muhammadu Buhari was in clear breach of provisions of the Universities Act No. 11, of 1993.
The protesters, in the statement made available to newsmen, maintained that the appointment of new vice chancellors in replacement of affected ones without opportunity of what they called ‘after thought’, was rather hasty and against due process as it affects appointment and disengagement of universities’ vice chancellors.
“The Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act and the the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Act are quite clear on the procedures to be followed in the appointment and disengagement of Vice Chancellors and none of the procedures was followed,” the statement said.
The coalition further lashed at the Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu for misleading President Buhari into appointing four of his cronies from Bayero University, Kano and the appointment of Chairperson of the University Governing Council from Kano State.
“Among the 13 new Vice Chancellors, 4 Professors are from Bayer University, Kano while the newly appointed Chairperson of the University Governing Council including the Vice Chancellor are from Kano State”, the protesters emphasised.
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the Minister of Education for misleading him into taking a wrong step.
Meanwhile, the protesters who bore placards inscribed with messages such as: Operation Save Our Education Sector could not go beyond the first gate of National Assembly, as neither the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki nor the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara were available to address them
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