UNYF defends Sani-Maikudi’s appointment as UniAbuja VC

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Unified Nigeria Youth Forum (UNYF) has strongly condemned a petition challenging the appointment of Professor Aisha Sani-Maikudi as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, calling it baseless and outdated.
The petition, submitted to the Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu Alausa, alleges that her appointment violated federal guidelines, specifically questioning her qualifications based on the number of years she has served as a professor.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday at the Aavison Hotel, the National Deputy President, UNYF Comrade Oluwafemi Idowu Shoroye said that there is no legal requirement in Nigeria for a professor to have a specific number of years of experience before being considered for the Vice-Chancellor position.
The youth group emphasized that the focus should be on a candidate’s academic credentials and leadership capabilities, not arbitrary tenure requirements.
To further refute the claims in the petition, UNYF pointed to numerous examples from across the country where universities have appointed Vice-Chancellors without imposing a minimum number of years as a professor and as a result call for the immediate Nomination and confirmation of Prof. Aisha without further delay.
Examples of universities that previously had professors with less than ten years experience includes the University of Abuja, which previously appointed Dr. Laraba Gambo Abdullahi, a PhD holder, as Vice-Chancellor; Bayero University Kano, where Attahiru Jega, a PhD holder, served as Vice-Chancellor without a lengthy tenure as a professor; and the University of Maiduguri, where the current Vice-Chancellor was appointed just two years after becoming a professor.
Additionally, institutions like the Federal University of Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), Minna, and the Nigerian Army University Biu have all advertised Vice-Chancellor positions with the sole requirement of being a professor, irrespective of years of service.
UNYF concluded by reaffirming their full support for Professor Sani-Maikudi’s appointment, highlighting her qualifications and readiness to lead the University of Abuja into a new era of progress and academic excellence.
“We, the Unified Nigeria Youth Forum (UNYF), are gathered here to address and firmly defend Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi’s appointment as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja. We also insist that her aspiration to be the incoming substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University is legitimate and absolutely fits the bill.
“We have become aware of a petition that has been submitted to the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu Alausa, challenging her legitimate desire and application for the substantive appointment, claiming that it will violate Federal Ministry of Education guidelines and questioning her qualifications based on the number of years she has served as a professor. “