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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
On July 1, 2024, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah bowed out as Vice-Chancellor (VC), University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), after five years in office. He handed over to Prof. Aisha Sani Maikudi, in acting capacity.
The academic staff had two weeks ago bid farewell to Na’Allah by sweeping his footprints out of the university campus. The symbolic ceremony started from the Office of the VC as the broom-wielding lecturers swept from there to outside the main gate.
Na’Allah joined other former VCs in the Nigerian University System (NUS) to have been accorded such unceremonious exit by aggrieved staff of the institutions.
Na’Allah left UNIABUJA in a state of industrial crisis with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). He was accused of pushing for personal interest in some of his official engagements, thus violating sections of the university’s Act and other administrative processes.
At a point, dean, Students Affairs, Dr. Abubakar Kari, and Prof. Mohammed Gana, rose in defense of the former VC, alleging that some ASUU members were working for a cabal that wanted “to return the university to the inglorious yesteryear.”
Kari claimed that the recent decision to disrupt the academic peace in the university was absolutely not the ASUU style of mobilising for strike: “The action is unrepresentative of the larger members of ASUU.
“The cabal dictating to the UNIABUJA chapter of ASUU desperately wants academic disruption to satisfy their personal interest, but never the larger interest of ASUU members and the university of Abuja.”
HOW CRISIS STARTED
Two months to the exit of Na’Allah, precisely on May 2, 2024, ASUU embarked on strike over what it described as administration “illegalities” that threatened the operational base of the institution. It said the union was no longer comfortable with several violations of the establishment Act of the university by the VC, hence they chose to withdraw their services pending the resolution of the identified challenges with the school management.
Its chairman, Dr. Sylvester Ugoh, confirmed that the union reached out to Na’Allah but he was adamant, and insisted on doing things as he wanted.
He confirmed that ASUU, at different leadership levels, reached out to the former VC for dialogue and correction, but he was adamant: “The decision to embark on the strike being the last option available.”
Na’Allah’s many ‘sins’
ASUU alleged that Na’Allah practically plunged UNIABUJA into academic and industrial crises, making reference to similar experience at Kwara State University (KWASU), thus describing him as the “worst disaster” that happened to the university.
The union said Na’Allah met UNIABUJA in a peaceful (industrial) and growing state, academically and otherwise, but, sadly, brought disunity and crisis to the university through his policies and programmes, as well as administrative and management style: “Na’Allah met UNIABUJA as ninth best university in Nigeria, according to NUC in 2019, but he took the school back to 27th.”
The union also alleged that Na’Allah increased school fees five times in five years: “School fees were as low as N23,000 when he came in 2019, but, unfortunately, some are as high as N250,000. Acceptance fee that was N4,500 was moved to N50,000.
“Arbitrary fee increments forced many students out of school. Some had to wait for more years because they couldn’t write examination due to late payment of school fees or delays in course registration.
“Na’Allah knowingly or otherwise erred in so many ways. Sadly, his attention was repeatedly drawn to the errors, but he chose not to make amends.”
Ugoh said off Prof. Na’Allah: “Obviously, his personal interests interfered in judgments and administration, and history will be unkind to him. His insincerity and failure to manage several labour and academic-related issues obviously left the university in a deep crisis state.
“From the issue of deanship elections, illegal employment and staff promotion, appointment of successor, microfinance bank, and several other issues, as contained in the letter we submitted to him, sadly, none was attended to, and that’s why we have been on strike over 60 days ago.
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“Over 600 staff, majority of whom were from a particular part of the country, were employed by Na’Allah without due process. When the advertorial for the position of VC was placed in national dailies, we reminded him of some sections of the university Miscellaneous Act, which stated that only the Governing Council has the powers to appoint new VC and also deal with the issue of staff promotion, but he ignored all these.”
Na’Allah’s response
At the peak of the strike, Na’Allah released a memo to ASUU members notifying them that the university would soon commence enforcement of “no work, no pay” policy on the striking workers.
The former VC, in a message to the students and staff posted on the school’s Facebook account, noted: “It’s not about withdrawing or not withdrawing the circular, it’s about certain academic staff punishing our students for no fault of theirs. How would delaying graduation of our dear students or extending academic calendar be a solution to the five issues presented by ASUU?
“UNIABUJA management has shifted ground on virtually every issue of contention. On issue of promotion of staff, we agreed to delay this year’s process until the Governing Council is inaugurated.
As regards the advertisement of the Vice- Chancellor position, we agreed that since it was from the Minister of Education, and it has also already closed, no further processing will be done until the Governing Council comes. But applicants who still submit applications after the deadline would be so indicated, but not turned away.
“Regarding Microfinance bank, we have approved that one person represent ASUU on the Board of the UNIABUJA Microfinance Bank, and had asked ASUU to, as a matter of urgency send its representative to management for onward transmission to the Board to incorporate such member on the board.
“On promotion, it was agreed to hold on the 2023/2024 promotion exercise until council is in place, while the earlier promotion exercises that are already ongoing are completed. As for deanship election, we agreed to hold all the remaining deanship elections within 2 to 3 days of ASUU calling off the strike.
“On the matter of the recruitment, UNIABUJA management went into the details of the legality of the recruitment and agreed to submit all those recruited to the Governing Council for ratification. Governing Council, when inaugurated, would immediately delve into each of these matters and take decisions for the university.”
Na’Allah insisted that the university couldn’t continue to pay the academic staff when they are not working, which is against the rules of engagement: “It’s morally bankrupt for people to expect to be paid salary for work they have not done.”
He, however, dispelled the misconceptions that UNIABUJA management was making life more difficult for the aggrieved academic staff by enforcing the ‘No Work no Pay’ policy: “Despite repeated goodwill and offer of negotiations, and after conceding lots of grounds, ASUU does not show readiness to also compromise in the interest of students.”
HIS UNCEREMONIOUS SENDFORTH
ASUU members openly registered their joy in a peaceful protest to celebrate the end of tenure of Prof. Na’Allah, though in a disgraceful way apparently in registration of their anger and discontent with his style of leadership.
While some ASUU members were armed with placards bearing inscriptions like “End of a tyrant Na’Allah, celebrating an inglorious exit, Emperor, Going! Going!! Gone!!!, end of recklessness and lawlessness in UNIABUJA; Final bus stop for illegalities in UNIABUJA; ICPC and EFCC investigate Abdul-Rasheed’s contract award to his company, among several others” were chanting solidarity songs as they used bunches of broom to practically sweep his footsteps out of the school.
Surprisingly, ASUU’s disgraceful actions was shortly after Prof. Na’Allah was celebrated and escorted out of the campus by staff and officials of the university in a motorcade, having handed the administration of the university to his successor, Prof. Maikudi, on acting capacity.
NANS REACTION
Samson Gbemiga Ogunwoye, Director, NANS Diaspora Affairs, said: “We were misled in our thoughts that he was coming to make a difference in 2019, not knowing that otherwise was the case. The former VC had negative impact on the school. For instance, Na’Allah met a functional Alumni Association but paralysed it in a bid to kill all the prospective dissenting voices and opinions.
“Even the divide and rule adopted as strategy by the VC weakened ASUU for years. it took them almost five years before they could confront him. It’s pathetic to know that the ex VC met a UNIABUJA without strike but left the school in a crisis state.
“He practically killed the Student Union Government (SUG). Na’Allah nurtured two factions of student union leaders. The SUG election was teleguided”
