The Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of the Natives, PIDAN, has in its possession a video making the rounds in the social media about an interactive meeting between the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos and the Committee of the House of Representatives on Federal Character.

The focus of the discussion was on the spread of the employees in the university which according to the Committee did not reflect federal character. 

1. While we agree that it is the constitutional responsibility of the Committee to do oversight function in all Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, to however single out the University of Jos and few others for castigation, looks like some institutions are been  targeted from some quarters.

2. This is evident and PIDAN finds it rather curious that the Chairman of the Committee refused to allow the Vice Chancellor to tender the permissions he got from the Federal Character Commission to conduct the recruitments he made, even when he said he had all of them with him at the interactive meeting. The position of the Vice Chancellor must have probably taken the Chairman off balance that he had to dismiss the Vice Chancellor at this point.

3. PIDAN views the refusal to listen to the VC as clear manifestation of  the Committee's skewed position of a passed  judgement of ‘guilty’ on the Vice Chancellor even before he appeared. No  wonder he was not given the opportunity to defend himself. Our conclusion on the mindset of the House Committee is further strengthened when they  stood logic on its head and threatened to prosecute the Vice Chancellor,  thereby usurping the powers of the Federal Character Commission, the custodians of the law on Federal Character. 
     
4. During the interactive session, the House Committee had asked the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar which states they came from and  they had both said they were from Plateau State, the House Committee then concluded that the university had become a "Plateau State University”

5. The House Committee forgets the fact that the Principal Officers of the University were appointed through a due process of interview which was conducted by the Governing Council of the University,  who are appointees of the President and Commander In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces,  who is also the visitor to the University. It is to be noted that during these interviews, the representatives of Federal Character Commission are always in attendance. The emergence of these officers were based on merit and not mediocrity or of any favour among those who applied for the positions. We make bold to ask here: What happens if all those who deservedly top these interviews come from one state, should merit be buried? We don't want to believe that, that is  what the House Committee wants!

6. For the avoidance of doubt, from our knowledge on the workings of the institution, the University tries as much as possible to observe the Federal Character principle. Of all the Principal Officers of the University, only the Vice Chancellor, Professor Seddi S. Maimako and the Registrar, Chief Monday M. Danjem are from Plateau State. The others, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Professor Tanko Ishaya is from Kebbi state; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof. Grey Goziem Ejikeme, Abia State; Bursar, Philip Umbugala, Nasarawa State, while  the University's Librarian, Dr. Thomas A Adigun is from Ogun state

7. We are aware too, that the immediate past Bursar of the University, Mallam Alhassan Ibrahim and Librarian, Dr Stephen Akintunde who left office in February 2020 were from Kogi and Oyo States, respectively. With these we don’t know how the Committee or  anybody should fault the University on the appointments of the Principal Officers.

8. The University, to the best of our knowledge is one of the universities in the country that has kept faith with the Federal Character Principle in its recruitments. This policy, we are aware  has earned  the University public accolades and commendations from different quarters, with the recent coming from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which acknowledged the institution’s national spread in its admission policy. We can proudly say that, the University of Jos today stands out as one of the truly Federal Universities in Nigeria. 

9. Having said these, we challenge the Federal Character Committee of the House of Representatives to make public the outcome of its scrutiny of other Federal Universities and Institutions in the country, as it did of the University of Jos.
PIDAN will be particularly happy  if the House Committee makes public the data on the recruitment, admissions and principal officers of universities in the generation of University of Jos such as Bayero University, Obafemi Awolowo University,  Usmanu Danfodio University, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Ibadan, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri and indeed all the federal universities in Nigeria so that the general public will judge.
Once they do that the House Committee may realise that the University of Jos has one of the well spread management teams and staff distribution in the country.

10. To us, singling out the University of Jos and a few others, is an attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. The University of Jos is not the only Federal University in Nigeria, yet it is one of those with national spread. We feel that there is more to it than meets the eye. It is an assault on all of us as a people and we want to register our displeasure in unequivocal terms.

11. PIDAN wishes to reemphasize here that for the House Committee on Federal Character to be seen to be working on the basis of equity and justice, we challenge it to undertake a comprehensive audit of the spread of management and staff of all Federal Universities and Institutions in the country, with a view to ascertaining the extent to which the Federal Character principle has been observed. The report of such an audit should be made PUBLIC. Until then, we hold it that what transpired between the House Committee on Federal Character and the University was against the principle of natural justice.

12. Finally, PIDAN wishes to on behalf of the Plateau autochthones and the good people of Plateau State, commend the management of University of Jos, led by its Vice Chancellor, Prof Seddi S. Maimako for turning the fortunes of the University around and taking it to greater heights. They have transformed the University which has become the envy of many.
We call on the management not to waver as we are solidly behind them and their developmental strides.

Signed:

Prof. Aboi Madaki
President

Com. Nanle Gujor
Secretary General