…Insists leadership remains valid despite allegations of overstay, illegality
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano (YMSFUEK), Dr Sadi Mohammed Sirajo, has rejected allegations made by the institution’s Academic Staff Union (ASU), asserting that his leadership remains legitimate until a substantive Vice Chancellor is appointed.
The ASU had recently accused the university’s Governing Council of attempting to reappoint Dr Sirajo as Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) in contravention of extant regulations, following the expiration of his acting tenure.
The union also called for the immediate removal of the Council Chairman, Professor Adamu Ahmad, who currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. ASU alleged a conflict of interest arising from Professor Ahmad’s dual roles.
In a formal statement released on Wednesday, Dr Sirajo described the accusations as groundless and legally unfounded.
He confirmed that his acting tenure officially ended on Saturday, 14 June 2025, but maintained that, in the absence of a substantive Vice Chancellor, he is obliged to continue performing executive functions to avoid a leadership vacuum.
“My tenure expired on 14 June, but a vacuum in university leadership is untenable,” Dr Sirajo stated. “I remain in office pending the Governing Council’s next resolution. My appointment letter also redeployed me as Deputy Vice Chancellor following the end of my acting role.”
Responding to ASU’s demand for the removal of Professor Ahmad, Dr Sirajo challenged the union to present any federal policy that forbids a sitting Vice Chancellor from concurrently serving as a Pro-Chancellor or Council Chairman in another institution.
He stressed that such appointments fall strictly under the purview of the Federal Government, which endorsed Professor Ahmad’s concurrent responsibilities.
Regarding the controversial admission of National Certificate in Education (NCE) students after the college’s elevation to a federal university, Dr Sirajo explained that the move was approved by both the Governing Council and the Federal Ministry of Education.
He clarified that the students in question had applied prior to the institution’s transition and that approval was granted to admit them to prevent a disruption in the academic calendar.
“Many of these students applied before the upgrade. We communicated this to the Ministry and the Council, who approved their admission to avoid a zero session,” he said.
On concerns over delays in staff placement and transition processes, Dr Sirajo said the institution recently concluded a resource verification exercise conducted by the National Universities Commission (NUC). He explained that further administrative actions would only proceed upon receipt of the NUC’s official report.
He added that the Ministry of Education had constituted a committee to supervise the transition of academic staff into professorial and other senior academic roles.
“It is not true that the university management has been inactive,” he said. “We are awaiting the NUC’s approvals. Without this, we cannot register with JAMB or proceed with official appointments.”
Regarding union recognition, Dr Sirajo stated that the institution does not acknowledge ASU as a legitimate affiliate of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), citing the lack of formal registration from ASUU’s national leadership.
He affirmed that the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COASU) remains the only union currently recognised by the university, though neither ASU nor COASU has been formally absorbed into ASUU since the institution’s transition to university status.
Dr Sirajo concluded by stating that the administration remains committed to the institution’s academic mission and will not be distracted by what he described as “politically motivated” claims.