FG reconstitutes governing councils of public tertiary institutions

The federal government has approved the re-constitution of governing councils at public tertiary institutions.

Folasade Boriowo, media head at the federal ministry of education, confirmed this to TheCable on Saturday.

In June 2023, the National Universities Commission (NUC) dissolved the councils of all federal varsities on a presidential directive.

The federal directive also affected the governing boards of government-funded parastatals, agencies, and institutions in education.

It stalled administrative decision-making in public tertiary institutions by mandating these universities, colleges of education, and federal polytechnics to seek ministerial approval for functions previously overseen by the governing board or councils.

The re-constitution of governing councils now comes after 11 months of repeated calls from education stakeholders.

Among them is the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which argued that the non-reinstatement or reconstitution of governing councils in universities was causing an uptick in cases of “illegality and flagrant violation” of institutional autonomy in public universities.

Chris Maiyaki, the NUC’s executive secretary, said a committee was set up to ensure the most qualified people are put in the councils.

“As soon as they are constituted, they will be made to undergo orientation courses immediately,  to ensure they are in tune with the expectations of the knowledge of government structures and laws of institutions,” the NUC head had stated.

“It will also help them to understand those cross-cutting issues that we need to nip in the bud, to ensure our institutions regain their glorious paths.”