Usman Ibn A. Lapai
A group, Borno Concern Citizens, has alleged conspiracy to manipulate the selection of University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) vice-chancellor.
The group in press statement issued by the Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Chiroma Mohammed Ali, in Kaduna, said since the expiration of the tenure of Professor Mala Daura, a lot of controversy had engulfed the selection process for a substantive vice-chancellor of UniMaid.
The statement added that whoever becomes the next vice-chancellor should be selected through a transparency process in consonance with University Provisions Decree of 1993.
It said: “How ever from all available information, the selection process was manipulated by one of the candidates, Professor Ibrahim Njodi, who is the current Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Services”, adding that the manipulation was done in collaboration with the former Registrar, Dr. Lawal Bukar Alhaji.
The petitioner also said several petitions had been written to President Goodluck Jonathan, the Supervising Minister of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC) and pro- chancellor and Chairman of the University Governing Board, “but it seems that this clique within the university is hell bent on imposing Professor Ndoji whose appointment is still a subject of contention.”
‘’Professor Njodi was promoted to the rank of Reader on the October 1, and according to the promotion and appointment of Academic staff Rule in UniMaid, a Reader must spend three years before he is promoted to the position of a professor, but Ndoji had an accelerated promotion after one year with the assistance of the then Registrar.
“More intriguing is the fact that his salary scale, as contained in his promotion letter of October 2006 of CONAUSS7, Step 1 was not in existence in the university as at 2006, and more appalling is the fact that the promotion letter was forged.”
The Borno Concern Citizens also said after several complaints and petitions, the governing board decided to “form a Kangaroo committee to look in to all the allegations raised.”
The group stressed that while it had nothing against the person of Professor Ndoji, they were compelled to speak in order not to set bad precedence “where some selfish university administrators will want to manipulate the selection process of the next and even future vice-chancellors just to serve their whims and caprices.”
