The federal government on Wednesday clarified
the position of government relating to the recent
apology by President Muhammadu Buhari over
the sacked 13 vice chancellors and the dissolution
of governing councils of universities.
Buhari had apologised for the decision by
government to hurriedly terminate the
appointments of universities’ vice chancellors,
particularly, their governing councils, without
recourse to the extant laws.
He did so at a forum in Abuja with All Progressives
Congress (APC) stalwarts.
The president had told his party members that
government “gave a blanket order which we had to
rescind when we said all boards are suspended or
dissolved. We had to go back and lick our vomit in
terms of universities councils because we found
out that according to their laws, they cannot
choose vice chancellors unless the councils sit and
interview candidates who want to be VCs.
So, there is nothing wrong in saying sorry and
going back on your decision. So, we said sorry and
allow all the universities to continue with their
councils. So, please, try to bear with us as we
reflect on where we found ourselves.”
But speaking to THISDAY, Senior Special Assistant
to the Minister of Education, Dauda Abdulramid,
explained that the president’s apology does not
connote reinstating the sacked vice chancellors
given that government’s earlier position was no
longer reversible.
Abdulramid told THISDAY that notwithstanding
Buhari’s apology, the decision by government
cannot be rescinded by recalling the sacked vice
chancellors.
“He did not say that he has reversed the sack,
he only apologised. Once government takes a
decision, it stands by it. Maybe, subsequently, they
will take caution next time. But that does not mean
he clearly stated that the sacked Vice Chancellors
should be recalled,” he added.
Similarly, Head of Information and Public
Relations, National University Commission (NUC),
Ibrahim Yakassi, in an interview with THISDAY,
collaborated the position of the minister’s aide,
arguing that “the situation is misunderstood; the
president was speaking in past tense, go back and
read what he said.
“He made reference to the dissolution of all
boards in this country. It has nothing to do with
the 13 vice chancellors that were recently
disengaged. It has no relation to that. The
president when he dissolved all boards in this
country included all the councils of federal
universities then. But he rescinded that decision
as he said because the councils needed to be
inplace to appoint vice chancellors. There was a
process then; most universities’ vice chancellors
were going then.”