By Maiwada Dammallam
Browsing through the internet I accidentally bumped into a very shoddy and embarrassing attempt to whitewash a thoroughly bad situation by a group that tagged itself “concerned professors of the University of Jos.” Published by THISDAY Newspaper and titled “You Lack Power to Threaten UNIJOS Mgt, Professors Tell Reps,” the verbiage, obviously aimed at extricating the management of the university from the consequences of a prolonged culture of constitutional abuse that reduced University of Jos hitherto, a reputable federal institution, into something less than a “Government Day Secondary School Jos.” The embarrassing outing by the so called “concerned professors” was the shoddiest of hatchet jobs I came across in recent times. At best, it’s a very loud alarm bell alerting Nigerians of the declining quality of characters managing our tertiary institutions — of course, if the clownish gang masquerading as “concerned professors of the university” is a fair representation of what obtains in our tertiary institutions.
Here’s the case:
In the course of its oversight functions, the House Committee on Federal Character under the able leadership of MHR, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Yahaya Kusada (Kankia/Ingawa/Kusada Federal constituency), discovered serious imbalances in the nominal roll of the University of Jos that negates the Federal character provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which the committee is vested with powers to enforce and safeguard. The committee wrote the university and requested for its nominal roll. In addition, it invited the management of the university to appear before the committee to explain the anomalies embedded in the university’s list of employees.
During the interaction, the committee confronted the management of the university with a nominal roll (provided earlier by the university) which proved beyond reasonable doubt the absolute disrespect to the federal character provision of the Nigerian constitution in the adopted employment methods of the university. It came out in the open that of the 3350 employees of the university, 1839 were indigenes of Plateau State. And where the Nigerian constitution unequivocally demanded for national spread of employment in an equitable manner by Ministries and agencies, 75% of the university’s employees goes to the North Central out of which 55% went to Plateau State; incidentally, the home state of both the VC and the Registrar of the university.
The first sign of incompetence of the university’s management as the meeting began was the inability of the VC to confirm the number of employees of the university he came to defend before the committee. Either out of sincere ignorance, deliberate arrogance or simply as a mark of disrespect to the Honorable Committee, the VC couldn’t/wouldn’t confirm the university’s number of employees and had to be assisted by the Registrar who answered the Committee Chairman’s question in that regard. When further asked if he has done anything to address the imbalance, the VC replied in the affirmative but when asked how he addressed the situation, he arrogantly replied with a nonchalant “I don’t know” making it apparent he was under the impression he and his team were being hosted for a tea party by the Honourable Committee of the House rather than to address a prolonged and flagrant abuse perpetrated by the University against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
From the responses of the VC and the clearly sponsored smear campaign against members of the committee as represented by the balderdash released by the so called “concerned professors”, it’s clear, either the VC and his team are not inclined to acknowledge, appreciate and respect the Federal Character Committee as constitutionally vested with the powers to represent the entire House of Representatives in matters dealing with employments in federal Government Ministries and agencies or, the VC and his team were subconsciously determined to remain in their narrow cocoon of provincial supremacy and assumed legitimacy completely detached from the reality and powers of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as vested on the National Assembly and its standing committees. This is a punishable aberration which must not be allowed to pass unpunished if for nothing, to prevent setting a bad precedence that may strip the National Assembly of its powers and legitimacy. The committee must do everything within its powers to punish this disrespect.
Interestingly, this is a university, an institution which should be at the forefront of safeguarding institutions of leadership beside being the incubation room of noble ideals in the country. I expect people laying claim to its leadership to behave with more decorum and respect for constituted authorities. It’s quite a disgrace for a reputable university like the one under review to fall in the hands of unprepared, confused and clearly destructive team like the one I saw making nonsense of the powers and respectability of the House of Representatives as inspired by God knows what!
And the team was not done trying to drag the committee in the mud. In the bunkum press release by the so called “concerned professors”, efforts were not spared to paint the committee as professionally irresponsible and nepotistic despite the obvious preparedness of members of the committee and the overwhelming consensus among them about the shoddy and clearly biased employment methods of University of Jos. The so called “concerned professors” first alleged that the University was singled out for national ridicule which clearly wasn’t the case given the tons of videos viral on the internet of the committee grilling other Federal Government institutions in similar manner.
The so called “concerned professors” then played the nepotism card by alleging, in their words: “we are aware that the Federal University, Dutsinma in Katsina State (coincidentally, where the Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Character comes from), has the vice-chancellor, registrar and librarian all from Katsina State.” How unfortunate that a group of professors could not make sense of the job description of the committee and put its schedule in proper perspective. I wonder who told these charlatans that University of Jos is the last harbor where the Federal Character Committee will dock for them to accuse the committee of not vetting the activities of the Federal University of Dutsinma? This is a failed childish attempt to hide the flagrant assault they inflicted on the constitution by inviting unnecessary controversy into the works of the committee to distract Nigerians.
Most importantly, if the university’s management is yet to appreciate the enormous powers at the disposal of the committee that allows the committee not only the room to threat but the teeth to bite offenders, I don’t think they are qualified to be managing a political science department unless, the purpose is to be hatching quack political scientists.
Maiwada Dammallam writes from Abuja.
