Some members of the University of Abuja Senate, on Wednesday, staged a walkout protest during their regular meeting.

It was learned that trouble began when a professor raised a point of order after Vice Chancellor Prof. Aisha Maikudi’s opening remark, highlighting the need to add an important item to the meeting agenda for discussion.

While addressing concerns such as the unprovoked attack on Senate members on December 23, 2024, by vigilante group members and the questionable selection process that allowed Aisha Maikudi to succeed herself as Vice Chancellor, the professor was shouted down and his microphone was taken away before he could finish, an insider told SaharaReporters.

Due to the low attendance of Senate members, some of the senators walked out, arguing that the process that appointed Maikudi was flawed and violated the stipulated guidelines for appointing a Vice Chancellor. They asserted that she is illegitimate to preside over the meeting.

The source said: “The Senate of the University of Abuja met today upon notice of regular meeting which was disseminated three days ago to Senate members.

“After the opening remark by Aisha Maikudi, a professor on the floor of the Senate raised a point of order to draw the attention of the Senate to the need to include an important item on the agenda of the meeting for deliberation, namely, the callous attack on Senate members by men of vigilante group in December 2024.

“He also observed that even at that moment, there was an unusual presence of a large number of vigilantes around the Senate Chambers. This ugly development is an indication that there is tension in the University.

“This tension is not unconnected to the deep-seated disaffection of a good number of Senate members on the fraudulent selection process that paved the way for Aisha Maikudi to succeed herself as substantive Vice-Chancellor.

“The professor was shouted down and the microphone taken from him before he could conclude his point order.”

Equally worrisome, the source said was the presence of non-academic staff members in the Senate Chambers, who pretended to be part of the secretariat support in the Senate.

“The poor attendance at today’s meeting also point to the unabating trepidation of a good number of professors about their security at the Senate Chambers.

“Many members of Senate eventually staged a walk out. It is therefore no longer in doubt that the University of Abuja is progressively degenerating into anything other than what a university system should be.”

The source warned that the consequences of the deteriorating situation at the university, if left unaddressed, are better imagined.

The source said, “Already, morale of academic staff is on record low level. Senior professors considered that the foisting of Aisha Maikudi, with only two years post-professorial experience as substantive vice chancellor is a huge disincentive to hard work, commitment to scholarship and patience in academic career of the university.”

A professor who was among the Senate members who staged a walkout told SaharaReporters that there was no protest “but the progressives did quietly leave the meeting because it was militarised with a desired aim”.

“We are waiting for the decisions taken therein,” the don said.

Meanwhile, 43 professors who are members of the University of Abuja have written an open letter to the President Bola Tinubu, who is the visitor to the university, calling for his urgent intervention before the situation gets out of hand.

The open letter is titled: “Anarchy Looms at the University of Abuja over the Illegal Appointment of Prof. Aisha Maikudi as Vice-Chancellor.”

The Senate members called on the President to remove the Chairman of Council, AVM Sadiq Kaita, accusing him of demonstrating gross incompetence and abuse of due process along with the Vice Chancellor, Maikudi so that UNIABUJA can move forward.

They said, “We, the undersigned 43 Professors and members of Senate of the University of Abuja feel compelled to bring to Your Excellency’s attention our concerns regarding the gross irregularities, blatant disregard for due process, violations of relevant laws and regulations, favouritism, abuse of privileges, undue interference, and lack of fairness that marred the selection process for the Vice-Chancellorship of the University of Abuja.

“These lapses culminated in the unfortunate imposition of Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, the least qualified applicant as the substantive Vice-Chancellor. Such events not only undermine the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President but also risk setting a dangerous precedent for other Governing Councils in appointing Vice-Chancellors across Nigerian universities.

“UNIABUJA is now the laughing stock of both the national and international academic communities. This petition is of urgent national importance because the two most important governing and administrative machinery of the University are now completely grounded. These are the Governing Council and the Senate of the University of Abuja.”

They explained that the Council can no longer function effectively because three out of the five federal government appointed representatives have vowed not to have anything to do with the Chairman, AVM Sadiq Ismail Kaita.

They said, “These three external members – Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, Hon. Sabo Bappayo Ahmed and Mrs. Chisom Obih, boycotted the last Council meeting that was scheduled for 5.00pm on New Year’s Eve- December 31, 2024. It was at this oddly and strangely convened meeting that Prof. Aisha Maikudi was hand-picked and foisted as Vice Chancellor on the University.

“In fact, the three external members of Council demanded for the agenda for the meeting but it was never made available to them. As far as these members of Council are concerned, they are unaware and have not been informed of the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor for UNIABUJA.

“AVM Sadiq Kaita’s apparent leadership failure is also responsible for the failure of the Governing Council to appoint a substantive Registrar for the university after almost seven months.

“This appointment, which is long overdue, is now in limbo because, technically, there is no functional Council in place. Staff promotion and appointment cases are stuck since Council has abdicated its responsibility.”

They also noted that Senate has not been able to meet because the supposed Chairman of Senate suffers from a crisis of legitimacy having been rejected by almost 50 Senate members because of her lack of requisite qualifications and experience for the office.

“Besides, the process that ushered her in was fundamentally flawed morally, legally and administratively,” they said.

“Critical decisions relating to the 2024/2025 admission exercise, approval of students’ results, approval of the academic calendar and other sundry academic issues, which fall under the purview of Senate, have been left unattended to several months after students’ resumption to campus.

“Everything is currently at a standstill and the illegal occupant of the Vice Chancellorship office is busy running from pillar to post, crisscrossing the country – even by chartered flights – lobbying for acceptance and legitimacy from eminent traditional rulers and top politicians.

“UNIABUJA’s meagre resources and taxpayers’ money, which are sometimes beyond the approval limit of the so-called Vice Chancellor, are being recklessly expended on an illegitimate pursuit that will ultimately collapse like a pack of cards.”

After reeling out other infractions, the professors appealed to the President to treat the matter as an urgent national importance.

A yet-to-be-known student pilot has been rushed to an unnamed hospital in Zaria, Kaduna State after he was involved in an aircraft incident on Wednesday.

A source at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology hinted at The PUNCH but could not ascertain the current state of the student pilot’s health. He promised to update our correspondent as events unfold.

The trainee aircraft belonging to NCAT was said to have skidded off the runway on landing.

It was also gathered that there was no substantial damage to the aircraft, but the student pilot was said to be hospitalised at the time of filing this report.

Our correspondent also learned that the student pilot was immediately hospitalised, while the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority were notified of the incident.

When contacted, the spokesperson for NCAT, Jude Amadi, confirmed the development, saying the NCAA’s accident team has been contacted and will be taking over the scene of the incident, after which they will brief the press.

When asked if it was true that the student pilot in question was hospitalised, Amadi said, “The student wasn’t hospitalised; he only underwent a routine medical check. You know, in the event of any incident, it is only right that the person involved is subjected to a medical check.

“There was no issue of hospitalisation; in any case, the NCAA accident investigation unit has been invited, and they will come and take possession of the incident scene and also brief the press.”

When confronted with information obtained from a source that the student in question was still at the medical facility at the time of this report, Amadi said, “That is not to my knowledge, and I am not allowed to speak beyond the information I have given.”

Also speaking with our correspondent over the phone, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said the incident was not a major one.

“Yes, it was true but it wasn’t a crash. That was just an aircraft skidding the runway. It wasn’t anything serious.”

Calls and text messages of enquiries put across to the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, were not responded to.

A report by the Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative has unveiled that N3.5 trillion was unaccounted for by various government agencies.

The organization highlighted issues from the 2021 audit of the Nigerian Government.

A total of N2.9 trillion was unaccounted for due to unrecovered outstanding revenue/debts. According to the report, N7.4 billion was unaccounted for due to irregularities in awarding contracts, N115.8 billion due to irregular payments, and N167.6 billion due to payments for unexecuted jobs/contracts.

Under-deduction of taxes amounted to N129.3 million, while non-deduction reached N2.6 billion, and non-remittance stood at N11.6 billion.

Payments lacking supporting documents totaled N8.3 billion, violations of the federal government’s e-payment policy amounted to N18 billion, and misapplication of funds was N663.9 million.

Funds unaccounted for due to lack of due process in awarding contracts amounted to N20.3 billion. Unaccounted expenditures were N122.5 billion, and recovered tax liabilities by the Federal Inland Revenue Service stood at N69.9 billion.

Store items not taken on ledger charge amounted to N968.9 million and extra-budgetary expenditures amounted to N15.8 billion.

Virement without approval amounted to N2.6 billion, non-remittance of internally generated revenue amounted to N6.6 billion, circumvention of procurement process amounted to N1.9 billion, denial of access to documents amounted to N21.5 billion, while unretired cash advances amounted to N1.3 billion.

Payment without paid vouchers amounted to N1.1 billion, payment without pre-payment audit amounted to N4.7 billion, engagement of external solicitors without attorney general’s fiat amounted to N243.9 million, payment to third party without power of attorney amounted to N439.7 million, award of contracts above thresholds amounted to N2.4 billion, illegally custody of government vehicles amounted to N747.7 million, payment without revalidation of paid vouchers amounted to N403.2 million, while splitting of contract to circumvent procurement/approval threshold amounted to N731.2 million.