Author: philip
Following the end of Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah’s tenure as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) began celebrating his departure. According to ASUU, his leadership over the past five years has caused significant harm to the institution.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, Chairman of the UniAbuja ASUU branch, expressed relief over Na’Allah’s exit and voiced readiness to engage with the university’s new management, led by Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, to address the ongoing strike.
“We are celebrating the exit of a vice chancellor who, in our view, severely damaged this university. His tenure marked a period of academic setbacks and mismanagement,” Ugoh said. He noted that before Na’Allah’s leadership, the University of Abuja ranked ninth among Nigerian universities, but it has since fallen to the 27th position.
The ASUU strike, which began on May 2, 2024, was in response to various issues, including the violation of university laws, improper staff appointments, and promotions without a governing council. Dr. Ugoh emphasized that the strike was not personally against Na’Allah but aimed at rectifying these illegalities. He expressed optimism that Professor Maikudi, being familiar with the issues, could resolve them swiftly.
Former ASUU branch chairman Dr. Kassim Umar also called on the Federal Government to intervene, lamenting the adverse policies of the past administration. He urged relevant authorities to ensure peace and stability at the University of Abuja.
In contrast, the university’s spokesman, Dr. Habib Yakoob, highlighted that the entire university community celebrated Prof. Na’Allah for his contributions, emphasizing the rapid development achieved during his tenure. He expressed hope that ASUU would support the new administration under Professor Maikudi, who had been the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics.
“We celebrated Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah for his outstanding performance. The community will miss the era of rapid development he ushered in. We hope ASUU will now extend their support to Professor Maikudi and the university management,” Yakoob said.
