The federal government on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 clarified its position on the recent apology by President Muhammadu Buhari over the sacked 13 vice chancellors and the dissolution of governing councils of universities.
Buhari, at a forum in Abuja with All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts, had apologised over the decision by government to hurriedly terminate the appointments of universities’ vice-chancellors, particularly, their governing councils, without recourse to the extant laws.
The president at the forum had told his party members that government “gave a blanket order which we had to rescind when we said all boards are suspended or dissolved. We had to go back and lick our vomit in terms of universities councils because we found out that according to their laws, they cannot choose vice chancellors unless the councils sit and interview candidates who want to be VCs. So, there is nothing wrong in saying sorry and going back on your decision. So, we said sorry and allow all the universities to continue with their councils. So, please try to bear with us as we reflect on where we found ourselves.”
But speaking with THISDAY, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Education, Dauda Abdulramid, explained that the president’s apology did not connote reinstating the sacked vice-chancellors, given that government on the issue earlier position was no longer reversible.
Abdulramid told THISDAY that notwithstanding Buhari’s apology, the decision by government cannot be rescind, by recalling the sacked vice chancellors.
“He did not say he had reversed the sack, he only apologised. Once government takes a decision, it stands by it. Maybe, subsequently, they will take caution. But that does not mean he clearly stated that the sacked vice chancellors should be recalled,” he added.
Similarly, the Head of Information and Public Relations, National Universities Commission (NUC), Ibrahim Yakassi, in an interview with THISDAY, corroborated the position of the minister’s aide, arguing that “the situation is misunderstood; the president was speaking in past tense, go back and read what he said.
“He made reference to the dissolution of all boards in this country. It has nothing to do with the 13 vice chancellors who were recently disengaged. It has no relation to that. The president dissolved all boards in this country including all the councils of federal universities then. But he rescinded that decision as he said because the councils needed to be in place to appoint vice chancellors. There was a process then; most universities’ vice chancellors were going then.”
According to Yakassi, the president’s apology “has no relationship whatsoever with the recently disengaged vice-chancellors or councils. It was in reference to the dissolution of councils of the entire country that he included the councils of universities then. So the councils that he meant, he actually spoke in past tense, were the councils of these universities dissolved. The 13 vice chancellors were done much later; it has no relationship with that. So nobody is going to issue out any policy statement; nobody is going to recall anybody.”
Asked whether the apology could be examined in isolation of the sacked vice chancellors, Yakassi stated that “there’s no case in point about them. I don’t understand why people don’t want to get the facts straight and right. The case of 13 vice chancellors and councils is different from the rest of the universities. These ones don’t have their laws gazetted.
“The older ones have their laws gazetted, they have their councils running. The law starts the day it was gazetted, so the president committed no offence. It is still the exclusive preserve of the president to appoint those vice chancellors.”
He contended that government had already moved on with regards to the sacked vice chancellors. Asked if the sacked VCs’ case was closed, he said: “New vice chancellors have been appointed, of course, it is.”
Also, a Coalition of Civil Society Groups, (CCSG) said it would hold the president accountable should the vice chancellors not be recalled.
The group maintained that it would be disingenuous for the president to ignore reinstating the sacked vice chancellors after tendering apology to the nation over the ‘wrong-headed’ sack of the vice chancellors.
CCSG President, Etuk Williams Bassey, told THISDAY that the decision to withdraw the suit against the president and government was aimed at resolving the whole crisis.
Bassey stated that recalling the sacked vice-chancellors “is part of” their demands, adding: “If they are not recalled, we will still hold the president accountable.”
