Group kicks against appointment of Akanbi as KWASU VC

The Offa Professors Forum (OPF) has kicked against the appointment of Mohammed Akanbi as vice-chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU).

TheCable Lifestyle had earlier reported how Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the state governor, had approved Akanbi’s appointment.

But in a statement on Sunday, Hussein Oloyede, chairman of the forum, described the process that led to his appointment as unfair.

The statement said Mahmud Sakah from Kwara north zone was rated first by the committee of council and not Akanbi from Kwara central who was rated third behind Gana also from Kwara north.

“The Offa Professors Forum (OPF) learnt with great shock of the appointment of Professor M. M. Akanbi, SAN, as the Vice- Chancellor of Kwara State University, Malete (KWASU) from a statement released by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology on 1st April, 2020,” the statement read.

“In the statement referred to, the Commissioner alluded to the fact that the governor, in making the appointment, relied on the recommendation of the Governing Council of the institution headed by Professor Saka Nuru.

“We want to state from onset that Prof. Akanbi, SAN, is ordinarily qualified for the position of Vice- Chancellor of the Institution.

“It would be recollected that during the Selection process in 2019, the OPF raised the issue that the Selection Board ( a committee of Council) was skewed in favour of Ilorin Central Senatorial zone (where they constituted 4 out of 5 members, including the chairman).

“The exercise went on never the less and three (3) Professors were recommended in the following order of merit:1st Professor Mahmud Sakah (from Kwara North), 2nd Professor Gana (from Kwara North) and 3rd Professor M. M. Akanbi (from Kwara Central).

”This was the state of affairs by the time the present government came in May, 2019. The then in- coming government set up a Transition Committee preparatory to its taking over government and it was advised, concerning KWASU, that the selection process for VC was faulty and that the Council should be dissolved (for so many other reasons also), a new council constituted and the position of VC re- advertised.”

The group, comprising of more than 100 professors from Offa in Kwara, went on to explain that the administrative structure of the university — which has the chancellor, pro-chancellor, vice- chancellor and acting registrar all from only Kwara central — does not properly represent the three geo-political zones in the state.

It described such arrangement as repulsive, considering the fact that KWASU is owned and jointly funded by all the three zones in the state.

The forum also told the governor that he was not properly advised on the appointment of the vice-chancellor of the varsity.

”This is not in tandem with what you promised Kwarans to be fair to all sections and be just,” it added.

”The candidate that came first in the interview should be appointed in line with the dictates of Allah which enjoins justice, even if the other party is your relative.

”We pray for the success of your administration and pledge our support in ensuring a just Kwara state.”