A coalition of civil society groups has questioned the rationale behind the directive to spare the boards of federal universities while those of other tertiary institutions were dissolved.
A statement signed by the president of the coalition, Comrade Bassey Etuk Williams, yesterday in Abuja, said the government’s decision to retain boards of federal universities was disappointing.
They said special preference shouldn’t be given to universities among other tertiary institutions owned by the federal government, adding that university councils are made up of politicians.
They said while it is true that the academic union of universities had an agreement with the federal government regarding the tenure of councils, the selection process for their appointment sacrificed competence on the altar of politics.
The coalition demanded for the dissolution of university boards and that due process should be followed in reconstituting them, adding that, “the board chairmen and members that were dissolved should be swapped among universities to prevent some from consolidating on any form of fraud within familiar territories.”
They urged the federal government not to further encourage the disparity among the federal tertiary institutions in the country but ensure that appointment of the board members was in total compliance with the new administration’s zero tolerance to corruption.
