Who Is Afraid Of Aisha Maikudi?

By Sadiq El-Saye

Aisha Sani Maikudi is a 41-year old professor of International Law, and since July 1, 2024 the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja. She is among the 80 scholars from within and outside Nigeria who have applied to become the next substantive vice chancellor of the university.

There appears, however, to be a well-oiled campaign of calumny, rooted in a conspiratorial grand plot, to stop her, ostensibly – and ironically – because of who she is: a young (too young they argue), beautiful, and exceptionally brilliant and administratively savvy female academic from Katsina. On another day these should have counted as the qualities that recommend her for the job.

In this, 21st, century that has witnessed the emergence of a number of 40-something-year old (and even less) presidents and prime ministers across the world, including in some of the most developed countries, age – not accomplishments, competence and experience – is being bandied by some obscurantists and chauvinists as an obstacle to becoming a vice chancellor. The hypocrisy, nourished in intellectual dishonesty, is that these nay-sayers have conveniently forgotten numerous instances within the very Nigerian university system where dashing young academics held forte as vice chancellors (Iya Abubakar and Akinkugbe in the 1970s, Jibril Aminu in the early 1980s, A S Sambo in the early 2000s, J.D. Amin, Gwarzo and others in the last decade and half). In the same University of Abuja, Gambo Laraba Abdullahi was in 1999 appointed VC in her forties, and she was not even a professor as at the time (just like many others before and after her).

The falsehood being peddled by those opposed to Aisha Maikudi is that she cannot be VC because only a professor of 10 years and above can be. That is pure hogwash. The easily verifiable fact is that there is no such provision in the Universities Miscellaneous Act and the University of Abuja Act (the two legal instruments that decide who becomes VC in the university). As a matter of fact, a simple check can reveal that more than half of the vice chancellors of all Nigerian universities (federal, state and private) attained the positions with less than 10-year experience as professors as at the time of appointment. Faruk Kuta, the incumbent Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Minna, was promoted professor in 2021 and became VC less than two years later. Within the last one year, more than half a dozen federal universities have sought to fill vacant vice chancellors positions. The powers to appoint VC rests solely with Council, and each has the discretion on the kind of experience a candidate should possess. Only few days ago, the University of Nigeria Nsukka pegged 8 years as a minimum number of years a professor wishing to be their VC should be on that rank (earlier on, Usumanu Danfodio University Sokoto like the University of Abuja did not fix any minimum number of years on the professorial rank).

Another falsehood being deliberately and maliciously concocted and spread is that standard was lowered in the second advert (placed in August) to enable Aisha Maikudi apply. Nigerians could vividly recall how ASUU in particular (and some of the people now complaining) protested and insisted that the first advert must be canceled (or at least reviewed). ASUU even embarked on an 83-day strike action to press home their demands. Eventually, Council conceded and reviewed the advert to the open elation of many. For two months all was calm – until when it emerged that Aisha Maikudi was among the 25 fresh applicants!

Those who are opposed to Aisha Maikudi are simply scared stiff of her intimidating CV: academic and administrative accomplishments. For instance, she is the only one among the applicants who has been Head of Department, Deputy Dean of Faculty, Director of one of the key centres of the university, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Acting Vice Chancellor. This is in addition to being a world-class scholar and international citizen with vast contacts that she has deployed for the service and benefit of the university.

Clearly Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi is a towering intellectual titan and proven deft administrator. This reality is very difficult to accept by her detractors and those angling to return UniAbuja to the years of the locust.

Dr El-Saye is of the Faculty of Social Science, University of Abuja.