A former Provost of the College of Law, Osun State University, UNIOSUN, Prof. Mojeed Alabi, has described the extension of tenure for a Vice-Chancellor as an “abnormality” within the Nigerian university system, blaming political interference for the controversy surrounding the decision.
Prof. Alabi, who holds dual professorships in Political Science and Public & International Law, said the development at UNIOSUN was not unexpected given the level of political involvement in the affairs of the university in recent years.
“It is an abnormality within the Nigerian university system, in which I have spent an upward of 40 years, to extend the tenure of any Vice Chancellor under whatever guise,” he said.
The professor further criticised the procedural handling of the extension, arguing that if the Governor intended to grant it, the university’s establishment law should have been amended before the announcement was made.
“As to whether the Governor had the power to so do, I would have preferred that His Excellency used his influence to get the establishment law of the University amended before making the pronouncement and not vice versa,” Prof. Alabi stated.
He alleged that the incumbent Vice-Chancellor was given “a marching order to deliver his LGA in the Governorship polls as a condition for granting the extension being surreptitiously canvassed for,” noting that he had been aware of the plan for over three months.
“Not being an eligible candidate for reasons of political affiliation only in the race for the office of the Vice Chancellor, I have refrained from taking sides,” he said.
Prof. Alabi, however, said he had congratulated the recipient “for playing his politics well in the circumstances,” but added that as a veteran of the university system, he would have preferred that the incumbent “leaves the stage when ovation was the loudest,” given that his first appointment was on merit.
He warned that the extension disregarded the historical reasons for reverting the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure to a single non-renewable term of five years.
“Whichever way it is done, such an extension did not take cognisance of the historical factors that compelled the reversal of Vice Chancellor’s tenure to single non-renewable term of five years, laying a bad precedent that could reverse the gains on the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on this matter some years ago,” he said.
Prof. Alabi said the “political rigmarole” that surrounded the present appointment further showed the extent of political involvement in UNIOSUN.
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