Tinubu okays appointments for governing boards of federal universities, others
By Innocent Raphael
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointments of 555 individuals to serve as Pro-chancellors/Chairmen and members of the Governing Boards of 111 Federal Universities, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education.
This development follows the President’s approval of nominees list recently submitted by the Ministry of Education.
An advertorial from the Ministry of Education detailed the appointments, which include a chairperson and four members for each institution.
The announcement, signed by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, outlined plans for the inauguration and retreat for the new Governing Councils.
According to the statement, these events are scheduled for Thursday, May 30, and Friday, May 31, 2024, at the National Universities Commission in Maitama, Abuja, starting at 9:00 AM daily.
Confirming the development, the Presidency noted that the nominations originated from the Ministry of Education.
“This is from the Federal Ministry of Education. They made the nominations and forwarded them to the President for approval. But they are at liberty to release it from their end,” stated Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.
The appointments come amid tensions with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has recently threatened to strike, citing delays in appointing Governing Councils for Federal Universities.
The union criticized the Federal Government’s approach to academic affairs and condemned the recently announced 35 percent salary increase for professors and 25 percent for other academic staff as insufficient.
The union’s discontent was voiced during a briefing at the University of Abuja, where it accused the Tinubu administration of a lackadaisical attitude toward higher education issues.
The new appointments are seen as a response to these grievances and a step towards stabilizing the governance of Nigeria’s higher education institutions.
