In a significant move aimed at bolstering the governance of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointments of 555 individuals to serve as chairpersons and members of the governing boards of 111 federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. This development comes as part of the new administration’s focus on strengthening the governance of the nation’s tertiary institutions, with a particular emphasis on health, education, and human capital development.
The appointments were made following President Tinubu’s endorsement of a list of nominees selected by the Ministry of Education. An advertorial from the Education Ministry, seen by Media Talk Africa, detailed the appointments, specifying a chairperson and four members for each institution. The inauguration and retreat for the Governing Councils will take place on Thursday, May 30, and Friday, May 31, 2024, at the National Universities Commission, located at 26 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, with events starting at 9:00 AM each day.
This move comes in the wake of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) threatening to embark on another strike, potentially disrupting the academic calendar and causing further setbacks in the country’s higher education sector. The union, on Tuesday, decried the failure of the Federal Government to appoint Governing Councils for federal universities. The union also faulted what it described as the nonchalant attitude of the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to matters about academics in federal universities.
The appointments are seen as a step towards addressing the concerns raised by ASUU and other stakeholders in the education sector, with the hope that the new governing councils will play a crucial role in improving the quality of education and governance in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
