A NEW VICE CHANCELLOR AT UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA

AbdulRasheed Na’Allah should confront the challenges of the institution with tenacity of purpose, writes Habib Yakoob

Towards the end of every vice chancellor’s tenure in the Nigerian federal universities, the staff usually await, with bated breath, the appointment of a new person to pick up the baton of leadership. If the outgoing vice-chancellor has been a good leader who is leaving an outstanding legacy, there is usually a yearning desire not to see him go. Contrarily, if his tenure is characterized by turbulence and administrative wrongheadedness, the staff would be eager to see his back. Sometimes, the staff and other stakeholders of the institution hardly know that the man whose back they are keen to see, is a silent achiever, until years afterwards, when they begin to taste the dose of bad leadership from his successor. That the staff have such concerns over the incoming leader is unsurprising: the growth and development of any institution, is heavily dependent on the quality of its leadership. In Nigerian universities, the vice chancellors as the chief executives provide such leadership since they are saddled with the general responsibility of directing the affairs of the institution. If the university records a remarkable progress and development, the lion’s share of praises and commendations goes to the vice chancellors; if on the other hand, the university’s fortunes decline or remain static, much of the blame would be apportioned to them. So if you do not get the right vice chancellor, there is every likelihood, that you will be getting all things wrong.

In view of this leadership dynamics, the appointment of a vice chancellor is characterized by excitement, political intrigues, horse-trading and related tendencies.

Of late, there has been a debate on whether the potential vice chancellor should be chosen from the aspirants within the same university or outside the university that is seeking for one. The concept of “internal” and “outsider” candidates has its merits and demerits, no doubt. While the “internal” candidates, for instance, are believed to understand the political environment and can hit the ground running when appointed, they are sometimes bogged down by the divisive politics of settlements, witch-hunt and victimization. It may take the “outsider” candidates much time, on appointment, to study and get acclimatized to the environment, but they are somewhat immune to the aforementioned encumbrances that characterize the appointment of an “insider.”

Actually, some universities have been fortunate to get the best of vice chancellors chosen from within themselves, while some have been unfortunate to see the worst in the appointment of “internal” candidates as vice chancellors or vice versa. In the end, what matters is merit: that quality of being particularly good or worthy of commendation or reward; of standing out among the crowd of equally competent people. To be sure, the best of leaders are those who have the capacity to turn things around even in the most testing circumstances and are able to add value to the system. It is interesting to note that these leaders are usually not determined by their location, ethnicity, religion or cultural background.

In the last couple of weeks, the University of Abuja was enmeshed in the politics of selection and appointment of a vice chancellor, as Professor Michael U. Adikwu was rounding off his fiveyear-tenure. His tenure was ending on the note that he had played his part in steering the affairs of the university. His strength and weakness as well as his successes and failures when he was the vice chancellor of the University of Abuja, will be judged by history and posterity in the same way that others before him have been judged.

At the moment, all eyes are on Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, whom the Council, in its wisdom appointed to take over from Professor Adikwu, as the new vice chancellor of the University of Abuja on 1st July, 2019. The professor of English and Literary studies comes to the job with a record of leadership and academic experience. As the Vice Chancellor of Kwara State University (KWASU), for 10 years, he is believed to have made considerable and worthy contributions to the development of the institution even in the face of paucity of funds and selfish political influence. Those who know him better, and have worked closely with him, attest that he is a man with unequalled passion for hard work, creativity and success. Indeed, if Professor Na’Allah lives up to expectations, a lot will necessarily change in this university for the better.

The University of Abuja, perhaps, more than any period in its chequered history, needs such a leader, not only to help consolidate on the achievements of previous administrations, but to create the desired change in the system; a leader who will be driven by the desire to leave a lasting legacy. Not a leader who will be known for his narrow self-interest and parochialism; lack of concern for peaceful, harmonious working environment and staff welfare; insularity and nepotistic tendencies. That this great university has been unable to utilize the potential afforded by its location and closeness to the seat of power by carving a befitting and distinctive status for itself since 1988 when it took off from a temporary site, made up of three blocks of building meant for a primary school in Gwagwalada “mini – campus” is ostensibly attributable to some of the aforementioned negative propensities.

Until 2009, when it was relocated to the Main campus by the administration of Professor Nuhu O. Yaqub, the university had suffered incalculable developmental losses and wasted a lot of its opportunities for growth and expansion. Though the Main campus, is bustling with several on-going projects and the existence of peaceful academic and work environment, a lot more remains to be done to lift it to enviable heights. A university in the Federal Capital with a potential for becoming a centre of excellence for people who thirst for education in and around the capital cannot continue to lag behind in the 21st century.

As Professor Na’Allah settles down in office, it is hoped that he would confront the challenges of this great institution with the tenacity, creativity, integrity and forthrightness that they deserve, as well as harness the resources of the university for the benefit of all stakeholders. Of course, this will be almost impossible without the unalloyed cooperation and support of the council, Senate, entire members of staff. How the new vice chancellor achieves this feat will determine to a large extent the kind of legacy he would leave and where the university will be in the next five years of his tenure. Dr Yakoob wrote from the University of Abuja