The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has faulted the two-year extension of the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) beyond the statutory five-year term.
COPSUN, which described the extension as contrary to the existing legal framework, urged Governor Ademola Adeleke, as Visitor to the university, to adhere strictly to the law governing UNIOSUN.
The committee’s position was contained in a communique issued at the end of its 73rd quarterly meeting in Ibadan and signed by its Chairman, Professor Ayodeji Omole.
According to COPSUN, it received a report that the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure was extended by two years through an executive pronouncement by the Visitor, with a proposal to amend the university law to legitimise the extension.
It resolved to formally notify Governor Adeleke of its position and called on the Pro-Chancellor of the university, who is a member of the committee, to ensure compliance with the law and due process to safeguard the integrity of university governance.
COPSUN urged the governor to adhere strictly to the existing law governing the university, in line with the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2012, as amended.
On the broader university system, the committee called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to assert stronger regulatory control and curb what it described as growing interference by professional bodies in university administration.
It noted that reports from member universities indicated that professional regulatory bodies were increasingly interfering in university governance through overlapping activities, including resource verification, accreditation, indexing, induction and licensing, which has placed significant pressure on universities and resulted in “accreditation fatigue.”
The communique urged the NUC to include representatives of relevant professional bodies in its accreditation teams, while ensuring that such teams remain under the authority of the commission.
“The National Universities Commission (NUC), as the regulatory authority for universities, should be legally strengthened and empowered to exercise overriding authority over university administration nationwide, with the professional bodies serving only as part of the accreditation team being headed by NUC,” COPSUN said.
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