By Abdulaleem Haruna
Just when a quiet and tranquil atmosphere was settling in at the University of Abuja, another sponsored publication appeared in a fake name, attempting to cast aspersions on the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Abuja, Senator Dr. Olanrewaju Tejuoso.
The new attack is by another fake author, a non-existing Dr. David Folorunsho, who purportedly wrote from the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies. I have checked through the list of staff in the Faculty, and there is no staff bearing the name of Dr David Folorunsho in that Faculty.
The habit of using disguised names to publish this kind of article is not only cowardly but shows that the authors are bent on destroying the institution they pretend to defend. Those who mean well will always come out clean to add their names and append their signatures to their articles. Why would anyone proudly write an article for public consumption but can not proudly add his name?
The article published in _21st_ _Century_ _Chronicle_ suggests that Dr. Tunji Alausa has “capitalized on internal agitations” over the appointment of Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi to pursue a personal agenda to “impose a candidate from the Chicago axis”
While criticism is part of healthy democratic discourse, this particular narrative is troubling because it is grounded more in conjecture than in fact and a deliberate calculation to misinform the general public. At a time when the University of Abuja needs calm, stability, and transparency, we must guard against careless innuendo that inflames passions and undermines institutional progress.
It is important to restate the facts. Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi was appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor on June 30, 2024, until December 31st, when she was appointed substantive Vice-Chancellor by the same Governing Council of which she was a member. As an Acting Vice Chancellor, she was a statutory member of the Governing Council. She sat in the Council meeting that considered the contents of the advertisement for the position of Vice Chancellor and later went ahead to apply for the same position of Vice Chancellor.
As Acting Vice Chancellor, she was also the Chairman of Senate. She chaired the Senate meeting that elected members of the Selection Board, which later interviewed her and recommended her appointment while disqualifying very senior professors.
Her appointment as substantive Vice-Chancellor raised concerns about the integrity of the process and on
February 6, 2025, her tenure ended abruptly with the dissolution of the 10th Governing Council by a directive from the President and Visitor to the University. This was not a unilateral decision by the Honourable Minister of Education; it was the President’s prerogative exercised in line with government policy.
Allegations that the Honourable Minister or the Pro-Chancellor acted outside the law are not supported by evidence. The University of Abuja Act and the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Acts set out clear procedures for appointments and removals. Where deviations have occurred, they have been in response to extraordinary governance circumstances and not as a vehicle for personal agendas.
We must separate facts from speculations. The suggestion that criteria for Vice-Chancellorship were manipulated to suit particular candidates remains unsubstantiated until the court decides. It is easy to build conspiracy theories around timelines, advert clauses, or academic credentials, but the truth is that no credible proof has been offered to demonstrate systemic rigging of the process. There are issues of both law and fact. The leadership succession debate must, therefore, focus on equity and institutional justice, not on the alleged secretive personal agenda of the Minister or the Pro-Chancellor.
On the ‘Chicago Axis’ Narrative
It is necessary to put the so-called “Chicago axis” in perspective. To describe professional ties or overseas networks as a conspiratorial force bent on capturing UniAbuja is misleading. Our universities have always benefited from the diaspora men and women with knowledge of global best practices and networks that enrich the Nigerian university system. To demonize such connections is to undermine the very global competitiveness we seek for UniAbuja.
If anyone was wickedly wishing and praying for a friction between the Honourable Minister and the Pro-Chancellor, such wishes and prayers must die at conception. The Honourable Minister and the Pro-Chancellor remain committed to ensuring that the University of Abuja runs on the principles of merit, autonomy, and transparency. Far from imposing candidates, their duty is to midwife a credible process where the best possible leader emerges through due process. That duty is being carried out by the current Governing Council with diligence and attention to detail.
To say the least, the insinuation that the internal members of Council are subdued is not only false but very derogatory. With 4 distinguished professors elected by the Senate and 2 members elected by the Congregation, one of whom is also a professor, plus a vibrant Acting Vice Chancellor, what more do we need for good representation in Council? The only internal member who is not a professor scored the highest votes to get elected by the Congregation. Incidentally, he is equally a medical doctor and belongs to the same profession as the Minister and the Pro-Chancellor. These internal members are highly committed stakeholders and can not be subdued by any arrangements to manipulate the process.
We must trust those we elected to represent us at various levels of the university’s governance. We must ignore baseless rumours and fictitious authors who remain faceless so as to mislead readers. They should not be taken seriously. The
University of Abuja is now more stable, and it is standing on its feet once more.
A Call to Focus on the Future
The real danger before the University of Abuja is not whether one camp or another prevails, or whether an internal or external candidate should be favoured, but whether we allow rumour, frivolous allegations and innuendo to distract stakeholders from the urgent work of rebuilding trust, strengthening governance, and positioning the university as a model for the Nigerian system.
Critics must, therefore, engage constructively. The Senate, Congregation, Governing Council, Ministry, and broader university community must work together to ensure that the process of selecting a substantive Vice-Chancellor is credible, inclusive, and anchored on law and due process of law.
In conclusion, it should be noted that leadership at the University of Abuja can not be reduced to tales of “PIC versus Chicago.” Such simplistic binaries do injustice to the complexity of the institution and to the seriousness of the task before us. What the university needs now is not division but direction; not rumour but rule with due process; not imposition but integrity.
The Honourable Minister of Education and the Pro-Chancellor have demonstrated commitment to these values. It is now left to all stakeholders, critics included, to rise above factionalism and work for the collective good of the University of Abuja, and by extension, the Nigerian university system.
I therefore call on all free and positive minded members of the University community to focus on the challenges before us – to get the university running again as a democratic higher education institution built on equity and equal opportunities for all.
Abdulaleem Haruna is a
Deputy Registrar at the University of Abuja.
