Despite the intrigues, blackmail, and mudslinging that characterised the process for the appointment of vice-chancellor at the University of Abuja, the world now knows that Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi has emerged as the chosen leader of this institution.

Perhaps, never in the history of contests for leadership in the Nigerian university system has there been this level of acrimony, rancour and calumny.  

Among the over 80 candidates who expressed interest in becoming the vice-chancellor of Nigeria’s only federal university in the Federal Capital Territory, Maikudi became the primary target of relentless attacks.  Her opponents wasted no time in employing every weapon of misinformation all in a bid to present her as unfit and unqualified, so as to undermine her chances of becoming the substantive vice-chancellor of the institution.

Yet, their tactics came crashing down.

On December 31, 2024, the Governing Council of the University of Abuja appointed the 41-year-old professor of law as its vice-chancellor in line with the extant rules that govern such an appointment. However, even after the announcement, some of her critics have continued their campaign of misinformation, rehashing unsubstantiated claims about her qualification, questioning the transparency of the appointment process, in an attempt to further  discredit her.  

The group even has gone as far as calling for the dissolution of the Governing Council, while wrongly comparing it to that of the   Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, which was dissolved last year by the government over its flawed process.  

It is not that you do not have the right to legitimately protest against a process you assume was wrong, but it is important to do that without giving an impression that your frustration simply stems from defeat in a fair contest.

That the Governing Council of the university, headed by Mr Sidiq Ismail Kaita, a retired air vice marshal, seemed   determined right from the beginning to respect only a process that is based on merit and transparency is noteworthy.

In a statement a few days ago, the council’s secretary, Alhaja Islamiyatu Abdulraheem, said this organ “strictly complied with the relevant provisions of the two main acts guiding the appointment of vice-chancellors of the university, namely, the University of Abuja Act and the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, No 1 of 2007,” and explained this as partly responsible for the  “wide and enthusiastic acceptance of the announcement of the new vice-chancellor within and beyond the university community’’. 

Truly, we have seen for instance, how the deans, directors and heads of departments of the various faculties, centres and departments, respectively, rallied round Maikudi to felicitate with her, pray for her and pledge their unalloyed support, according to a Facebook post on the official page of the university.

We have also read how over 100 senate members expressed massive support for her and the process that produced her. Besides, student union leaders, at a town hall meeting that was shown live on the same university Facebook platform, showed that the students were all with her and ready to make her succeed.

While it is commendable that the university community is rallying around her, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) should be particularly commended for their stance in resisting the attempts of some of these individuals to manipulate the system.  The union should see Maikudi as their own and continue to offer her the necessary support that will help to raise the academic standard and reputation of this university.   

It is also heartwarming that Maikudi has been receiving congratulatory messages from prominent Nigerians outside the university community, and individuals across the globe.

As a woman, I am particularly interested in the statement from the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Suleiman – Ibrahim, who described Maikudi as an exemplary role model for women and girls in Nigeria. Similarly, the Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has hailed Maikudi’s appointment as not only having reflected her “outstanding academic leadership but also showcased the intellectual capacity and educational excellence that Katsina State continues to contribute to our nation’s development.”

The Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, has congratulated Maikudi and wished her a successful tenure.  And many more accolades will continue to pour in for the new vice-chancellor.  

This show of love and support means a lot to the peace and progress in the system.

Let me use this medium to heartily congratulate the brand-new vice-chancellor, Professor Asiha Sani Maikudi, on her well-deserved appointment, and to call on the lecturers who felt aggrieved to embrace the reality of Maikudi’s appointment to move the University forward.  A knife, as they say, should not seek to tear its own sheath, because it will find nowhere to hide when disaster comes for it.

Anyone who has followed the developments of the University of Abuja since 1988 when it was founded knows that it has suffered years of systematic stagnation under some of its past leadership. Only a few of its previous vice chancellors have made impressive impacts. The hope now is that Professor Maikudi will build on their successes and usher in a new era of growth and excellence.

I urge her to remain strong and focused, and never to allow herself to be moved by these ongoing distractions.  I am happy that she has hit the ground running already in the University working to consolidate what she has been able to achieve in the last six months that she worked as vice-chancellor in acting capacity.

For instance, she was able to douse the tension that attended the exit of the former vice-chancellor, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, concerning the appointments of deans, recruitment process, among others, working closely with the Council of that University. What needs to be done is to maintain this working spirit to get the University to be among the best in this country.  It is the legacy she builds that will ultimately matter, and posterity will ever remember her for that. And on this, we are sure she will triumph.

 

Ibrahim, an alumnus of Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, writes from Garki, Abuja