How admission racketeers were uncovered – Uniabuja VC

Since you became Vice Chancellor, can we say students enrolment has increased or reduced? Enrolment has always been according to our quota as approved by the NUC [National Universities Commission] which is 3,500 per year. That notwithstanding, we have the remedial programme through which we admit students. Enrolment has always been in line with the […]

Since you became Vice Chancellor, can we say students enrolment has increased or reduced?

Enrolment has always been according to our quota as approved by the NUC [National Universities Commission] which is 3,500 per year. That notwithstanding, we have the remedial programme through which we admit students. Enrolment has always been in line with the quota given to us.

Is the university comfortable with the 3,500 population?

The University of Abuja, being in the Federal Capital, the pressure on us is more than what we can contend with in the meantime. But then, you cannot say because of the pressure…any student who is to be admitted should as much as possible, match the issue of infrastructure because lecture halls need to be provided. That has been a militating factor as regards to even getting more than that quota. But with developments now, things are going to be better. With the new lecture halls we have now in the permanent site, there will be more room. Most of these projects were started in January this year but they have reached roofing stage.

How far have you gone in the movement from the temporary site to the permanent site?

The last administration under Prof [Yaqub] Nuhu moved the Administration and the Faculty of Arts to this place [permanent site]. But the problem has been transportation for the students. Students were paying between N300 and N350 every day [to come from Gwagwalada to Giri] for lectures. We have bigger accommodation in Gwagwalada but students need to come here to take lectures.

When I became Vice Chancellor, council started transport shuttles for students. We were able to buy many buses and tankers for water. Since this is a relief measure, students pay only N50. This means a student pays a maximum of N100 a day. And what do we do to ensure that something comes in daily? We opened an account. Go to the bank, buy your ticket…because if it’s cash payment, you know what that can do.

The issue of electricity. Right from when I took over, it was a directive. Shortage of electricity had been a headache but when I took over, I ensured that light is on between the hours of 9:00am and 5:00pm everyday. Then the generator will rest between 5:00pm and 7:00pm. Between 7:00pm and 12:00pm…during exams time, other than the day time, lights are on till 2:00am which is sufficient for serious minded students to read. But here in the permanent site, we are connected to the national grid so it is only when there is public power cut that we go on generator.

Another issue is water. It is not only for students but staff too. We sank 10 boreholes in addition to what we had. I don’t know why people tend to make noise. By the time I took over, we used to buy water, six tanks everyday. Each tank was for N3,000 which means N18,000 everyday. I constituted a committee which worked tirelessly to the extent that we don’t buy water again!

The problem was our drivers diverted the water to sell. We bought two brand new tankers, one for Giri staff quarters and the main mini-campus. The distance is shortened up so if a tanker for the main campus is seen outside, the driver will have to explain. The one in Giri should not be seen outside Giri.

How many faculties are in the permanent site?

We have only the faculty of Arts but with the state of things now, more faculties are going to move this semester: I expect Science to move, Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Agric because the buildings have reached [completion stage]. Veterinary medicine is already connected to the national grid, Engineering is connected, health sciences has reached…

The National Universities Commission refused to accredit your medical and engineering courses. What is the situation now?

The mistake was made right from the beginning in the sense that four capital intensive programmes were started without a single block, block I say, not building for them. So most of the staff employed were paid through internally generated revenue.

We did not consult our professional bodies. NUC was not consulted before the establishment of the four faculties and you know, that means a lot. It’s a matter of checks and balances—NUC has its role to supervise us; professional bodies have their roles…but we didn’t really do that. So when I took over, the fundamentals that I felt were not there…for instance, medical students have not been able to go for clinical. Yet, the university already employed clinical staff. For more than three years they were there, doing nothing and getting their salaries! This is what really compounded our problem…

But mind you, the issue of denied accreditation is not peculiar to the University of Abuja. We have the old universities, third generation universities being affected by the non-accreditation of Medicine. I remember Benin was on paper and some of these universities as a result of taking more but nobody made noise about that. Maybe, the University Abuja, being in the Federal Capital, people are politicising whatever happens here.

The veterinary people requested the retraining of the students which we did. As a result of that, we are to recall them to come and see what has happened. They are coming 12, 13, 15 October to see what is there.

Are you admitting students in medicine, engineering…?

We could not admit last year. Because normally, when you are denied accreditation you cannot take in new students. But it doesn’t mean those who are already there should be thrown out.

Are you admitting this session?

I will say no unless…we are now in the second semester. I would want you to realise one thing. After the strike, the University of Abuja never cancelled a session. So we are trying to recover areas lost during the national strike by the union. If by the end of the session which will be around December, we are able to get our approval before then, we can get students. Until we get over that programme, we cannot take in new students.

How many students are in the Distance Learning programme?

I’m yet to get the total enrolment of the 100 level. They are not less than 14,000.

There is accommodation crisis. Some Distance Learning students always pack themselves in small classrooms in primary schools in the FCT for lectures and exams.

The University of Abuja of yesterday is not the University of Abuja of today. Our last exams were taken on our campus. The first experiment was with the conventional students. When that was successful, we took the bold initiative of saying Distance Learning exams must take place on our campus. What we needed were seats. We bought plastic chairs and tables which are far better than carrying these old people to the primary schools. That really gave sanity to our exams.

Before now, people would take exams for students and all that…Some wanted to try it here. But they were caught and handed over to the security men. We are hoping that lectures for Distance Learning too will be on our campus—no longer outside the campus.

There was a time some students were expelled for indulging in cult-related activities. But when you became VC, you attempted to reverse the suspension.

Cultism is a security matter. Let me clear one thing. What the former VC said about me playing with fire, I think it was Daily Trust that published it, was not correct. The people concerned who wrote to me and I put council on notice were Igwe and Titi. That is Igwe, the students union president and Titi, the vice president and other officers who were…you remember there was a time we had students demonstration as a result of not having cotton wool in our clinic. I was DVC Academic then.

These students were never expelled because of cultism. It was because of peaceful student demonstration. I remember, what the former VC held against them was Igwe declared himself, on the road here, VC. Students can say anything anytime. Did declaring himself VC make him VC?

As a result of peaceful demonstrations…these students wrote! I cannot take the decision alone. I have to go to council. The only thing I got immediately after that was that I was playing with fire because I was bringing expelled cultists back. Please correct that notion and let the names of these two people come out. Titi and Igwe were never expelled because of cultism. They appealed to be brought back. And the way the whole thing has been politicised, there is no point…they have not been brought back! But the public is made to believe that I’m bringing cultists.

So when will they be cleared and brought back?

I cannot just say they must come back. The matter has to go through the senate. I cannot use my power.

But it is taking too long.

I thank God you said it has taken too long. I’ll give you an example. People were involved in exam malpractice. They had more than two years, yet their case was undecided. I pleaded with senate. I said please either we trash these cases or we free the students. People took it that I wanted to legalise illegality. Like I keep on saying, what moral justification have we to hold a student for more than two years? Anywhere I go, people will ask me. As the chief executive, I’m the one at the receiving end.

A member of senate suggested that we have a special committee that will look into the cases. That day, the committee was constituted. Now, as a matter of protocol, the chairman of the student disciplinary committee is the DVC Academic who is next to the VC. If there is another committee, it should be chaired by the DVC because that will be on behalf of the senate because that committee works for the senate. If there will be another committee to look at the work of that committee, it should be a committee chaired by the chairman of senate and that is how I and three other members of senate came in. They are all professors with the exception of the dean of Law. I balanced it with two HODs who are doctors.

Before the committee met, ASUU took it the other way round that I was trying to bypass the senate because I had vested interest. What vested interest is there for people’s children to be held outside the school?

I called an emergency meeting and we took the cases one by one. I said these cases must end that week. That was how we took the final decisions on these cases.

How well are your students doing in the area of sports?

They are doing well. We sponsored them—they went to Akure, went to Minna. They go out and sometimes win laurels. But I’m more of academic than…I used to play hockey—hockey is my game.

University of Abuja may be lacking in infrastructure but not in our mental work. The DVC Academic led our students for the Etisalat merit award and we won N100 million.

It is said that there is academic down turn in this university.

People have gone to the extent of giving admission—this was done by a messenger in the registrar’s office [displaying fake admission letter]. It was during screening in the department that this thing was detected.

The method put in place does not allow them to get admission sold. So, during the change of course, if you have this thing—how do you change from Arts to Microbiology? This man prepared the list, took it to the faculty and went for the letter. This is letter of admission…

How much was given to the staff?

He already collected N40,000 out of N80,000. Something has to be done. It is not the open market as it used to be. Yet they have devised another method. This whole list is fake [displaying fake admission list containing 15 names]. A staff involved in admission racketeering in millions was dismissed. This thing was reported, investigated and the staff was dismissed. That is why the noise about admission has been more. Many collected money but were not able to deliver. If I had closed my eyes to these things, what would have happened?

How many staff are being investigated over admission racketeering?

They are undergoing investigation. The whole system is…I catch you doing something, I can’t throw you away. Fundamental human right! He goes to court. So you fulfil all righteousness. After the report, you query. The person answers the query, then you start investigation. The investigation goes to committees before getting to council. There are cases going on. Staff have been dismissed—four have been dismissed!

Is there anything university administrators are doing to check frequent lock outs as a result of ASUU agitations?

We will continue to pray. It is not something that makes me happy. It is beyond my capability. We believe that strike is the only language but during the strike, what is lost cannot be regained because we put ourselves under hardship to complete what we are to do. If we complete it, what of the non academic?

Do you micro-manage? It is said that you do the job of many university officers.

Any mail coming in is for the VC. When I go through them, the one which is to go to the registrar, bursar, the librarian, director of academic planning go to them—am I doing everything? The issue of status quo not remaining is my headache.

Financially, by the time I took over, on July 1, 2009, I started with negative—it was minus N200 million plus. By the time I took over, union dues, the check-off dues were never paid. People got loans from banks.

By first quarter of this year, in the cash office, not in the system—the cash office means the money matured for payment was N272 million on capital projects. When the release came, I got N32 million. And I want this people to move, accreditation is there, everybody is looking on to the VC. But there is no staff salary which has not been paid.

The issue of exams which I said no more sitting outside the university…During the exams, we paid for the venue. The teachers of those schools would be co-opted into invigilation. Now that has stopped. Where you had around 20 schools, within this time, the students make arrangements to pay the invigilators. Now come and do it on campus. Will they like it?

Senate has already taken a decision that marking will be done by conference. All the exams for the Distance Learning, no single script has gone out. I asked the director to lock them up.