By Samson Gbemiga Ogunwoye
The controversial reign of Prof. Abdul Rasheed Na’Aallah as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja has come to an end. It is worth noting that his administration left a bitter-sweet taste in the mouths of many, with many believing that the tenure of the Kwara State born academic was characterized by an Osama-like terror, Hitler’s bullying, and Abacha’s impunity. As it is to be expected, the end of every reality is sacrosanct, and hence, this farewell dirge to a man many dreaded like a tyrant
Upon his assumption of office, many were under the euphoria that he was coming to make a positive difference, seeing as the university was several years behind its growth projections as a befitting Ivory Tower in the national capital of Africa’s largest country. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a mistaken perception that was largely fueled by his initial grandstanding and loquacious posturing about his leadership acumen and a nonexistent developmental footprint. Prof. Na’Allah, was discovered to be a braggadocio that sees himself as a superior entity to every mortal. No student, not even a lecturer, could look into his eyes and dare to offer a contrary opinion; even the people that facilitated his appointment were pushed down the ladder; used and discarded.
When Prof. Na’Allah took over management of the University of Abuja, it was ranked 9th best university in Nigeria by the National University Commission (NUC) in 2019. Within five years of a ruthless act of misgovernance, he is handing over a citadel of learning that now ranks 27th in the country. His tenure is therefore a tragic moment of management that should never befall any institution in Nigeria again.
During his five years in office, Na’Allah raised the school fees five times. When he arrived in 2019, school fees were as low as N23,000, but as of today, when he is departing, some are as much as N250,000. The acceptance fee was arbitrarily increased from N4,500 to N50,000.
Arbitrary fee increments forced many known students out of school. Our association found itself in a puzzling situation most times, where it had to raise funds for affected students. Many students had to wait for more years because they could not write exams due to late payment of school fees or delays in course registration due to the continuous technical glitches experienced with the so-called Integrated Portal that he imported from his former University, which consumes more funds than necessary.
There is no doubting the fact that he took commendable strides in the effort to improve physical infrastructure of the university, but virtually all the structures he built were alleged to be at astronomically inflated prices. A testament to the overloaded contracts with substandard delivery were the dilapidated and moribund state of buildings, barely two years after completion. Many of the build structures have had their roofs repaired with unabated leakages. Bad furniture, substandard facilities like air conditioning, electronics, amongst others have been consigned unserviceable, several years ahead of their expected lifespan. It is pathetic that Malam Na’Allah built more mosques than hostels and libraries within the campus.
Numerous recruitment exercises were ill-fated because they were largely underscored by impeccable mediocrity, bigotry and impunity. In several instances, he imported second class lower as a graduate assistant at the expense of internally qualified candidates with first class and strong second-class lower degree. He did a great disservice to the University of Abuja graduates by projecting us as unemployable. The fact that 90% of his employees are from other universities lends credence to that assertion. If the illegal recruitment is allowed to stand, the repercussions of the deleterious exercise will be indelible, not only within Abuja but throughout the larger society, that will feel the impact of the half-baked graduates that this new set of lecturers will produce.
The VC is alleged to show total disregard for federal character in a university that prides itself on being a university of national unity. About 90% of the people employed are from one region or religion. A lady from Baze University who got employed into my department reportedly said she got the job against her wish even though her father paid for it. Na’Allah was not alone, as there was evidence that top officials in the ministry of education and some top politicians were accomplices, thus turning an ivory tower into a cash and carry market.
The sordid incident that occurred at the Department of Sociology is worthy of recount just to buttress the degree of high-handedness of the departing Vice Chancellor.
Na’Allah brought in a graduate with a second-class lower degree from another university and engaged the fellow as a lecturer. But the then lady HOD stood her ground and refused to sign the guy into the department.
The following day, the lady was abruptly removed as HOD, and a junior lecturer who was hired by Na’Allah less than a year earlier was made the new HOD to do all the dirty work. These are not fallacies, but realities. It happened.
Na’Allah met a functional Alumni Association but paralysed it in his bid to silence all the prospective dissenting voices and opinions.
The divide and rule tactic adopted as strategy by the VC weakened ASUU for several years, as it took the union almost five years to introspect and re-strategize before they could confront the monster in Na’Allah. It’s pathetic to know that Na’Allah met a University of Abuja without strike but left the school on strike.
With his gangs of academic hooligans, Na’Allah practically killed the Student Union. Two variants of student union leaders were nurtured by Na’Allah: the lollipop generation with milk spilled all over their mouths and the crumble eaters who survive from patronage, most especially from National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The former were bullied to acute silence, and Na’Allah feasted on their credulity and timidity, while the latter were fed with crumbs, and he rode on their gluttonous appetite. The few dissenting voices, who refused to sell out, frequently faced rustication and severe intimidation. It’s on record that Na’Allah expelled and rusticated students who called for Congress to discuss students’ welfare.
The student union election is tele-guided by the management, as the chief security officer of the school decides who is to be cleared for the election, while the office of the dean of student affairs decides who to win. This highhanded tactic has led to chronic apathy where less than 600 out of about 20,000 students now participate in voting because they have lost confidence in the process.
The Office of the Dean manages the electronic voting without any input from the students, and the contestants and their observers sit outside to hear the doctored results.
In Na’Allah’s University of Abuja, students pay a regularization fee to Jamb, but Na’allah also charges his own fee for the same reason.
More troublingly, graduates spend 5 months or more for clearance and to get their Statement of Results, which is given to students on convocation day in other schools. Some departments have not released the results of the last graduating set for NYSC till date due to issues in the portal he brought from his former university.
A VC from another Federal University once disclosed that Na’Allah would brag at the meeting of VCs that if he sneezes, University of Abuja catches a cold! Yes! That was truly the case! He bullied even our professors into silence. ASUU became moribund until recent times. There was mutual suspicion among the lecturers as, with the help of some natives, he planted moles amongst the rank of teaching staff members.
If you make any accusations against Na’Allah in your role as a lecturer, you will receive an invitation to respond to several allegations the next day. The five years of Na’Allah were frightening and cumbersome for the university community. He became lord of the university as he managed the school with an iron fist while he silenced every dissenting voice.
Nothing lasts forever, and with a heavy sigh of relief, many now rejoice, realizing that, like yesterday, Na’Allah’s administration has been consigned into the dustbin of history where it shall be remembered as a dark era in the annals of the history of University of Abuja.
At the moment, all hands must be on deck to make sure that Na’Allah and his cronies do not decide the next VC. At this critical juncture where a new Vice Chancellor shall be elected, the most important consideration should be to ensure a native VC; a credible lecturer who has grown through the ranks at the university should be considered.
As they carry the university’s identity for the rest of their lives, it is their duty to join the patriotic voices and legitimate effort to ensure that the University of Abuja is restored to its pride of place as a centre of universal learning worthy of the appellation.
Samson Gbemiga Ogunwoye,
Director, Diaspora Affairs,
NANS