The Federal Ministry of Education has announced a new policy barring officers currently serving in acting capacities as Vice Chancellors, Rectors, or Provosts in federal tertiary institutions from vying for substantive appointments while still holding such positions.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, approved the directive in a move aimed at promoting transparency, equity, and integrity in leadership selection processes across federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday in Abuja by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Folasade Boriowo.
According to the ministry, the policy was necessitated by recurring concerns that individuals serving in acting capacities were leveraging their temporary leadership roles to gain undue advantage in the appointment of substantive heads, thereby compromising the fairness of the selection process.
“The policy is necessary to eliminate this practice, ensure a level playing field for all qualified candidates, and strengthen institutional governance,” the statement read.
Key Provisions of the Policy
The new guidelines stipulate that any individual occupying an acting position as Vice Chancellor, Rector, or Provost is ineligible to apply for the substantive position unless they first resign from the acting role. Such resignation must occur before the end of the acting tenure, which is statutorily limited to a non-renewable six-month term.
“In the interest of fairness, such officers may choose to recuse themselves from their acting positions before the expiration of their six-month tenure, thereby becoming eligible to apply for the substantive roles,” the ministry clarified.
The policy is intended to complement the Ministry’s existing 2013 Guidelines for the Appointment of Vice Chancellors, Rectors, and Provosts, and will be implemented alongside all other extant regulations governing appointments in federal tertiary institutions.
Enforcement and Compliance
The Ministry has directed all Governing Councils, institutional managements, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure strict adherence to the new rules. For clarity and operational ease, the updated policy has been shared as Annex I, with the 2013 guidelines enclosed as Annex II.
This latest reform is part of a broader initiative by the Tinubu administration to ensure credible and merit-based leadership selection in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
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