NUC orders VCs of Federal Universities to appoint acting deputies

The Federal Government has asked all Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities whose tenure will end soon to appoint deputies who will manage the Vice-Chancellor’s office in an acting capacity.

Chris Maiyaki, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, announced this to all impacted outgoing vice-chancellors in a circular dated May 28, 2024.

The letter from the NUC to the outgoing vice-chancellors follows a directive from the Federal Ministry of Education informing the commission about the end of some vice-chancellors’ tenures and the urgent need to nominate a deputy vice-chancellor through Senate recommendation until the new governing councils are inaugurated.

“I write, further to previous communication Ref. No. NUC/ES/138/Vol. 65/88 and dated 27 May 2024, to convey the directive of the Federal Ministry of Education, vide its letter Ref. No. FME/TE/CỰ/130/T6/458 and dated 28 May 2024 (copy attached), to the effect that Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities, who are rounding up their tenures, are to nominate, through the recommendation of their Senates, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor that will oversee the office of the Vice-Chancellor in a temporary capacity,” the letter partly read.

Maiyaki said that the soon-to-be-inaugurated governing councils of the universities would appoint acting vice chancellors after their inauguration.

“The Governing Councils, after their inauguration, will appoint Acting Vice-Chancellors for a period not less than 6 months, during which they will commence the process of appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellors.

“This circular takes pre-eminence over our earlier communication on the same subject. Please accept the assurances of my highest considerations, always.”

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), had previously rejected the move by FG to appoint new vice-chancellors to replace the outgoing ones in the absence of the governing councils of the affected universities.