President Bola Tinubu has appointed former INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, as the chairman of a yet-to-be-named federal university. This appointment is among the 155 appointments made by the President for various positions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The announcement was made on May 18, 2024, by Bayo Onanuga via a tweet. The appointments were approved by President Tinubu and are expected to take effect after their inauguration retreats scheduled for Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31, 2024 at the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja.
Jega served as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from November 2010 to November 2015. Prior to his tenure at INEC, he was a professor of Political Science at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto. The university’s governing council was one of the bodies whose chairmen were appointed by President Tinubu.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had issued a two-week ultimatum for the reconstitution of governing councils in federal universities before embarking on an industrial strike. However, their demands were not met before the deadline, leading to the commencement of the strike on May 14. The Federal Government had urged university lecturers to look towards university councils for payment of salaries instead of relying on the Federal Ministry of Education.
Other notable appointees include Professor Usman Musa as chairman of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in Kaduna State, Dr Anthony Usoro as chairman of Federal University Technology Akure in Ondo State, and Rasheed Ayotunde as pro-chancellor of Adeyemi Federal University Education in Oyo State.
