When in 1995 some academics from Bayero University, Kano made a submission to the University management through the Congregation, demanding the inclusion of a parley with Vice Chancellor ship candidates to be part of the processes for the selection of a new Vice Chancellor, many people expressed reservation as to the work ability of the new innovation.
Prior to its introduction, the proponents of this policy argued that the University community have not been carried along in the process of appointing a Vice Chancellor, thus making successive management of the University govern with disdain and in the most despotic manner. They further advanced that Vice Chancellors were not answerable to the university community, neither were they accountable for their misdeeds; instead they served the interest of their external masters who they believed, had influenced their emergence.
Therefore, in a bid to provide a responsible and accountable leadership at the ivory tower, they pushed for the adoption of a policy where the University staff would have an input in the selection process; by so doing they further explained that there would be no imposition of leaders from certain quarters as had been the norm over the years. Indeed, it took several efforts and intrigues before the management could finally agreed to consider the proposal. It was a tug of war between the progressive academics on the one hand and the conservatives on the other side, but eventually, the protagonist of the ‘new innovation’ triumphed, and subsequently, Congregational parley was internally incorporated to be part of the process of the selection of new Vice Chancellor.
Interestingly, the introduction of the Congregational parley some 20 years ago, with the one held last month as the fifth in the series, has been very successful as it has been conducted most transparently, fairly and full of democratic procedures.
First, it was Professor Bello Bako Danbatta in 1995, then the late Professor Musa Abdullahi in 2000, Professor Attahiru Muhammad Jega in 2005 followed by Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed in 2010 whose tenure is expiring this August.
Congregation, in the university setting, is a gathering of all employees of that particular institution who have a degree whether a bachelors degree or a higher one obtained from any recognised degree awarding institution in the world. Undoubtedly, this forum is one of the statutory bodies recognised by the Nigerian University laws and statutes. It is a convention where management renders account of its stewardship periodically to the staff. Equally, decisions and policies that could help in moving the University forward are being discussed and moulded thoroughly and resolutions arrived at. To put it more aptly, congregation could simply be termed as an avenue for mutual discourse between the management on the one hand and the staff on the other; it is more or less a stock taking meeting.
Therefore in line with the tradition of the University, any time there is a vacancy for the office of the Vice Chancellor, as part of the process, a Congregational parley would be hosted between the Vice Chancellor ship candidates and the members of the University community comprising both the academics and the professional staff, during which an election that will indicate the community’s preferred candidate would be conducted and contestants would be ranked according the number of votes they were able to score during the Congregational parley. The outcome will clearly indicate the candidates’ acceptability by the community.
It should, however, be noted that Congregational parley is neither part of the criteria nor among the statutory process of selecting a Vice Chancellor. The criteria and conditions stipulated for any candidate vying the position of a Vice Chancellor in any Nigerian University are very clear. Among other things, one must have a PhD; he must be a Professor for a minimum of five years, and must not be above 65 years on the year he is contesting the position while the selection processes were vividly explained in Section 3 (2) and (3) of Decree No. 11 of 1993 which stipulates the guidelines and process.
Since its introduction the Congregational parley has been exciting and generating special interest among the university community each time. Therefore, the one conducted on Tuesday, July 21st, 2015, was not an exception; indeed, it turned out to be more exciting than all the previous ones held. The event which was held on the day most workers resumed of work after Sallah break had recorded a massive turnout of congregation members, almost the highest figure ever with over 1000 in attendance.
Eight candidates addressed the congregation and were ranked after an election according to their acceptability by the members as follows: Professor Muhammad Yahuza Bello who was ranked as 1st choice with a 834 votes, followed by Professor Muhammad Sani Sule as 2nd best with 116 votes; Professor Muhammad Dahiru Suleiman came 3rd with 102 votes; Professor Kamilu Sani Fagge was 4th having polled 61 votes; Professor Muhammad Abdullahi was 5th with 36 votes, while the duo of Professors Abdulrahman Adejo Audu and Lawal Danladi Yalwa came 6th with 17 votes each. The only outsider, Professor Yahya Oyewole Imam from University of Ilorin came 8th after scoring 4 votes and an American-based academic, Professor Duke Urhobo Ophori, who was absent at the parley, came 9th with 0 votes.
As it stands now, congregation parley in Bayero University has turned out to be a blessing to the University in particular and the academia in general. The parley has been the most public and interesting aspect of the process of the selection of a new Vice Chancellor.
Perhaps Bayero University’s culture of democratisation of the selection process of the appointment of new Vice Chancellor through the adoption of Congregational parley, has become a source of pride among Nigerian Universities thereby earning the University a special respect and commendation. The approach is described as innovative, which should be emulated by all Universities.
The parley process which has come to stay has indeed become a strong force to reckon with in addition to making university administrators accountable and responsible in their management of human and capital resources. It equally instils humanism, discipline and culture of respect in the minds of every potential Vice Chancellor and/or anybody who nurses the ambition to head the University. As a result, BUK is always selecting the best among its academics to lead it.
Garba Azare is Senior Assistant Registrar, Directorate of Public Affairs, Office of the Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano. [myad]