Nigerian university appoints 41-year-old professor as vice-chancellor

The Senate of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) has appointed Aisha Maikudi, a 41-year-old Professor of Law, as the institution’s vice-chancellor.

According to the institution’s spokesperson, Habib Yakoob, Ms Maikudi, currently the university’s deputy vice-chancellor in charge of academic affairs, is the youngest professor on the campus.

She is expected to assume office in an acting capacity on Sunday, 30 June, when the five-year single-term tenure of the incumbent vice-chancellor, Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, is expected to end.

Mr Na’Allah was appointed the university’s vice-chancellor in 2019 after serving a 10-year tenure as the pioneer vice-chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Kwara State.

Ms Maikudi’s appointment followed a recent directive by the National Universities Commission (NUC) that the outgoing vice-chancellors of federal government-owned universities nominate one of their deputies to serve in an acting capacity pending the inauguration of the universities’ governing councils.

Mr Na’llah said Ms Maikudi’s appointment was confirmed on Wednesday at the valedictory senate meeting held at the university’s main campus.

“Ms Maikudi’s appointment was in a temporary capacity effective after the tenure of the current vice-chancellor, pending the ratification by the governing council,” the university spokesperson said in a statement.

In her acceptance speech, Ms Maikudi expressed gratitude to the Senate members for their confidence in her.

She said: “I want to extend my deepest respect and appreciation to you all for the strong support and unwavering commitment that you have accorded me.”

Background

In April, the university’s management launched an advertorial for the VC position to kickstart the process of appointing a successor for Mr Na’Allah.

However, the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) opposed the move, insisting that the appointment and promotion of staff, including the VC, is the responsibility of the university’s governing council.

Meanwhile, UniAbuja, like other federal universities, has been without a governing council since a sweeping dissolution by President Bola Tinubu in June 2023.

ASUU-UniAbuja, which accused the Mr Na’Allah-led management of several other infractions including the employment and promotion of staff without a council, declared an indefinite strike.

Few weeks later, the National Executive Council (NEC), the highest decision making body of ASUU, gave the federal government a two–week ultimatum to reinstate councils whose tenures were yet to expire and reconstitute those whose tenures had elapsed.

ASUU National President, Emmanuel Osodeke, a professor of soil science, described Mr Tinubu’s dissolution of the university councils as illegal, adding that it has paved the way for a series of illegalities in the universities.

Days after the ultimatum, the education ministry released a list of five-member governing councils for each of the 111 tertiary institutions, including universities. The list was instantly met with controversy, as members of the public accused the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, of violating the federal character provisions.

Mr Tinubu, therefore, directed the review of the list, forcing the education ministry to suspend their inauguration earlier scheduled for Thursday 30 May.

New council

Two weeks ago, the government released a reviewed list of external members of the councils of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

According to the new list, Sadiq Ismail, a retired Air Vice Marshal in the Nigerian Airforce, chairs the University of Abuja’s governing council.

Other members of the council are Ralph Akinfeleye, a professor; Sabo Ahmed, Dorcas Obih, and Rekiya Alfa.

About Aisha Maikudi

Aisha Maikudi was born on 31 January 1983. She attended Queens College, Lagos where she obtained her West African Senior School Certificate (WASSCE).

She proceeded to the University of Reading, graduating with LLB in 2004, and LLM from the London School of Economics & Political Science in 2005; and later bagged a PhD in International Law in 2015 from the University of Abuja.

Ms Maikudi joined the service of the University of Abuja on 4 September 2008 as Lecturer II and rose to the rank of professor in 2022.

She became the first female Deputy Dean at the University’s Faculty of Law in 2018 and later the pioneer director of the University of Abuja International Centre in 2019.