Fresh facts have emerged regarding why President Bola Tinubu sacked the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Aisha Maikudi, on Thursday, February 6, 2025, along with the Governing Council of the institution, led by Vice Marshal Sadiq Kaita (Rtd).
A source from the Ministry of Education disclosed that Maikudi’s sacking was connected to a letter written by a group of 43 professors who protested against her appointment as the substantive VC of the institution on December 31, 2024.
The source revealed that Maikudi was deemed unqualified for the position of Vice-Chancellor because she had only been a professor for two years, “whereas anyone who aspires to clinch the position must have been a professor for at least 10 years.”
Edubase Nigeria earlier reported that Maikudi was promoted to full professor in 2022.
The source also stated that Maikudi’s appointment did not follow the provisions of Section 3-6 of the University (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993, as amended in 2003 and 2012. The Act stipulates that an aspirant for the position of Vice-Chancellor “must be a professor of at least 10 years.”
“Everyone on the Governing Council of the University of Abuja knows that the provisions of the enabling laws were not duly followed. The council is made up of people who are aware of the law. I’m sure some of them deliberately did what they did to favor a particular candidate,” the source said.
It was recalled that, towards the end of 2024, a group who perceived the disbanded governing council as biased pointed out that the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, unilaterally formed a council and handpicked members during a strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the institution.
The advertisement for the post of Vice-Chancellor, published in August 2024 in national dailies, did not specify the minimum of 10 years of professorial experience required for candidates, which some believe was deliberately done to favor Maikudi, who became a professor in 2022.
Critics have also claimed that the sacked VC lacked scholarly visibility and had weak academic credentials to occupy the position.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has appointed Patricia Manko Lar, a professor of medical microbiology, as the acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution.
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