By Dr Jimba Sule
There comes a time in the life of a nation when silence becomes complicity. That time is now.
What is currently unfolding at the University of Abuja is not just an administrative irregularity, it is a direct assault on the integrity of Nigeria’s academic system. And if allowed to stand, it will become a dangerous precedent that will haunt every university in this country.
Let us be clear: the position of Vice-Chancellor in a Nigerian university is not a ceremonial title. It is the apex of academic leadership, built on scholarship, credibility, and adherence to established standards. Among those standards, one requirement has never been ambiguous-it is the possession of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Yet, in what can only be described as institutional recklessness, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi was appointed Vice-Chancellor without possessing this fundamental qualification.
THE FACTS ARE NOT IN DISPUTE
The University’s own advertisement in publicly published newspapers, clear and binding, states unequivocally that anapplicant “must hold a PhD or its equivalent.”
But here lies the problem: what is being paraded as “equivalent” is not a PhD. It is a medical fellowship – a qualification that, by law and by policy, is NOT equivalent to a PhD.
The National Industrial Court has already spoken. In a landmark decision, the Court held that a diploma, even a postgraduate one conferring medical fellowship, cannot be equated with a PhD.
If that was not enough, the Federal Ministry of Education has now put the matter beyond debate. In its recent policy clarification, the Ministry emphasized that:
a. A PhD does not replace a medical fellowship
b. A medical fellowship does not equate to a PhD
c. Both are distinct qualifications serving different purposes
This is not an academic opinion. This is government policy. So, on what legal or moral basis is this appointment standing? None! It is a nullity dressed in authority.
When a candidate does not meet the basic eligibility criteria for a position, every action flowing from that appointment becomes tainted.
Let us not pretend. This is not a minor technicality. This is a foundational defect. That is why the petition pending before the Governing Council rightly describes the appointment as “null and void ab initio.” And that is exactly what it is.
Unfortunately, the Governing Council of the University of Abuja has chosen to keep an alarming silence over the matter. The Governing Council must now decide whether it stands for due process or expediency.
This is not the time for bureaucratic delay or political calculation. The Council already has before it the outcome of a transparent selection process in which three candidates emerged.If one of them is legally disqualified, the path forward is simple:appoint any of the remaining qualified candidates. Anything short of this is a deliberate endorsement of illegality.
But the matter does not end there. The University is now held hostage. Disturbing whispers from within the University suggest that the current Vice-Chancellor is allegedly stalling the award of contracts, waiting for a perceived political transition at the level of the Pro-Chancellor.
If this allegation is even remotely true, then we are no longer dealing with mere incompetence, we are dealing with institutional hostage-taking.
Let it be said clearly: A Vice-Chancellor has no right to freeze the operational life of a university based on political speculation.The Pro-Chancellor, whether a politician or not, has not declared any intention to leave office. Governance cannot be suspended on the basis of rumours.
THE “KANGAROO CONSOLIDATION”
Even more troubling are reports that internal Council members are allegedly being appointed as Directors in what appears to be a desperate attempt to manufacture loyalty. If this is true, it is not governance but patronage. It is not leadership but survival politics. And it reeks of a system trying to legitimize what cannot be defended on merit.
And woe betides such Directors who are blinded by the perquisites of office and personal gains, for they shall be swept away by the next tsunami and replaced with clear-Eyed men and women who mean well for the University.
WHERE IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
This is where the Federal Government must not only speak buttake decisive action. The Honourable Minister of Education cannot, on one hand, issue clear policy directives that PhD has no equivalent, and on the other hand, look away while those directives are being openly violated.
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must also note that you cannot demand standards in one institution and tolerate the erosion of standards in another institution. There must be no double standards in the governance of Nigerian universities.
ASUU MUST NOT LOOK AWAY
And let us come to the conscience of the academy in Nigeria – the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) – a body of functional academic intellectuals that has fought for decades to uphold academic standards in Nigeria. This is one battle it cannot afford to ignore.
If ASUU remains silent while a non-PhD holder occupies the highest academic office in a federal university, then it will losethe moral authority it has built over the years. ASUU must speak out immediately. This is a defining moment.
This is not about personalities. It is about principles. It is about whether rules still matter in Nigeria. It is also about whether merit can survive politics. And it is about whether our universities will remain centres of excellence or descend into theatres of compromise.
The Governing Council must act urgently in enforcing the recentpolicy directive. The Minister of Education must act swiftly ifthere is any delay by the Governing Council of the University. And the President must take action if there is a failure of responsibility and good governance.
Should ASUU continue to keep quiet on this matter, then obviously, they will lose the moral authority to fight for standards. Because every day this illegality persists, the credibility of the University of Abuja and indeed the Nigerian university system, bleeds a little more.
Ignore this at your own peril.
