Implement agreement reached with ASUU, VCs tell FG

The Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has appealed to the Federal Government to show more commitment to the implementation of agreements reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other staff Unions to allow for the smooth running of the institutions.

Secretary-General of CVCNU, Professor Yakubu Ochefu, made the call on Friday in Abuja, while reacting to the suspension of the eight-month-old strike action by ASUU.

He spoke at the news conference to mark the 60th-anniversary celebration of CVCNU, which was formed on the 14th of October 1962. He noted that the 60th anniversary is celebrated low-key because of the protracted ASUU strike.

He recalled that at the inaugural meeting CVCN discussed how to harmonise the academic calendar between Secondary schools and Universities, how to improve the number of admissions for students and how to improve funding to the Universities even though funding remains a major challenge in the university system.

Ochefu who said that the Committee was glad that the strike is suspended identified trust deficit as the major cause of frequent strike action in the nation’s universities, urging the Federal Government and ASUU to resolve the fundamental trust issue.

He said ASUU has discovered over the years that the Federal Government would make a commitment with them and afterwards “go to sleep”, saying lack of trust has been the major that should be addressed for a healthy relationship between the staff unions and the government.

He also called for a significant overhaul of the Nigerian University system, observing that there are still shortcomings in terms of appointment and composition of the Governing Councils, nature and character of the law establishing the Nigerian Universities, especially the concept of university autonomy.

He said: “We need to radically rethink the philosophy of university education and the role it should play in 21st-century Nigeria, review our governance and funding models, and realign our curriculum to address the realities in the world of work for now and the future.

“The prolonged dispute between University-based unions and the Federal Government is a clear testimony that our current models are not working.

“Thankfully the NUC (National Universities Commission) is at the forefront of this rethinking model, and I believe that by the time some of the reforms that are being initiated are completed, we will have a University system that addresses the current shortcomings that we face.

“Before the end of this year, the CVCNU and the Nigerian Governors Forum will hold a Policy Dialogue on Education in Nigeria. It will allow all stakeholders to critique and challenge our current thinking on education and proffer solutions,” he said.

Ochefu noted that the objectives of the founding members at the time were to identify common problems impacting Nigerian Universities at the grass-roots level, make decisions on how to address them, and implement sound leadership practices and educational value in the Nigerian University system.

“From then till date, the number of Nigerian Universities has grown to 219. Over 554 persons have been VCs and 144 in an acting capacity. Of this number, academics from the Faculty of Science have contributed 77 VCs, social science 48, Humanities 42, Medicine, and Law, 21.

“Female Vice-Chancellors are 35 with 19 of them currently serving. Some of the oldest surviving former Vice-Chancellors who served in the 1980s include Professor Ayo Banjo, Adamu Baike, Shehu Galadanchi, Ango Abdulahi, and SJ. Cookey, Buba Bajoga, Umaru Shehu, Jibrin Aminu. From our records, the southwest zone with 177, has produced the highest number of Vice-Chancellors with Ogun State having 40 persons. South East has produced 129 with Abia having 35. Non-Nigerians who have served as Vice-Chancellors number 15,” he said.

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