By Umar Yusuf

Yola — Adamawa State University, Mubi, is heading towards a serious crisis, following the sacking of its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joshua Shall, by the state government.

Already, two major trade unions in the university, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, are at loggerheads with the state government over the sack.

Adamawa-State-University

The two unions addressed a joint press conference in Yola, yesterday, to state their positions on the lingering crisis in the university that culminated in the sacking of Prof. Shall.

The two unions called on Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla to recall the sacked vice-chancellor in the interest of justice and fair play.

At the joint press conference of the unions, chairpersons of ASUU and SSANU, Comrades Abubakar Aliyu Song and James Fwa respectively, said the development constituted a serious setback to the development of the university.

In his address, Song noted that the governor was misled into sacking Prof. Shall as no visitation committee came to the university to carry out any form of investigation before he was sacked.

“The recent removal of the substantive Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shall David Joshua was due to the absence of the council that made some individuals to take advantage and misled his excellency to remove the vice chancellor despite his good intentions for the university.

“The removal of the vice chancellor was a great setback to the university as it draws the university from the glaring development it is witnessing before the sudden change. This action contravenes the autonomy of the university.

“The union wishes to confirm to the public that there was no visitation committee as claimed as the university has never received any form of circular notifying the constitution of the committee inviting memorandum from various unions and individuals in the university.

“This is contrary to the operations of a visitation committee which made the report to be questionable,” Song said.

He noted that for the university to regain its pride of place, the state government as a matter of necessity should reconstitute the university council which was non existent as a result of which the university became vulnerable to administrative shortcomings.

“The union is of the view that the delay in the reconstitution of the university council is a great setback to the university and call on the visitor of the university His Excellency Sen. Jibrilla Umaru Bindow to speedy the reconstitution of the council so that proper structures of the university would be in place as prescribed by NUC and the law establishing the university,” he said.

In his address, the chairperson of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities James Fwa noted with concern the suspension of the Bursar of the institution and his replacement with somebody from the ministry of education instead of appointing his deputy bursar.

He said that the staff of the university is watching the unfolding development with keen interest and waiting for the government to right the wrongs for industrial harmony to prevail in the university.

It will be recalled that the state government announced the sack of the Vice-Chancellor through a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Bindir last week.