Polls: VCs, ASUU disagree as FG shuts varsities…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has condemned the directive of the National Universities Commissions to the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities that universities should be shut to enable students to participate in the forthcoming general elections.

The NUC gave the directive in a letter addressed to vice-chancellors of all universities and Directors of Inter-university Centres.

The commission noted that the directive was based on the instruction of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

The letter partly read, “As Vice-Chancellors of all Universities and Directors/Chief Executives of Inter-University Centres, we are quite aware the 2023 general elections have been scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 25, 2023, for the presidential and National Assembly election and Saturday, March 1, 2023, for the governorship  and states Houses of Assembly elections.

However in an interview, the National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, explained that universities had never been shut down because of elections, saying that the closure and opening of universities were the prerogative of universities’ Senates.

He said, “Vice-Chancellors do not have the right to close universities. It is purely the prerogative of the universities’ Senates to either open or close universities.

But the Secretary-General, CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, disagreed with the ASUU President, saying that Nigeria had always closed universities during elections.

Also speaking, the National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr Anderson Ezeibe, said the polytechnics regulatory body, National Board for Technical Education, had yet to come up with any directive.

However, he maintained that the closure and opening of institutions were decisions to be taken by institutions’ Senates.

On his part, the President, National Association of Nigerian Students, Usman Barambu, said the directive by the NUC was welcome.