From Tom Garba, Yola
Some members of staff at Adamawa State University (ADSU), Mubi, have petitioned the state House of Assembly accusing the Vice Chancellor, Prof Joshua Shall, of misconduct.
The staff petition which receipt was acknowledged by the House of Assembly Speaker, Kabiru Mijinyawa, at plenary was referred to the House Committee on Public Complaint for consideration and advice.
The petitioners – Dr Umar Jongur, Dr Idris Atadashi, Dr Kamkwis Markus, Mr Moses Mairabo and Mallam Khalid Bello – accused the Vice Chancellor of condoning academic fraud and questionable financial dealings.
The also accused him of administrative high-handedness and violation of established rules as well as unjustifiable manipulation of ethno-religious sentiment in running the university.
The petitioners requested the suspension of the vice chancellor and the constitution of a visitation panel in line with the university law No. 10 of 2001, section 15 sub section 1, 2 and 3 to investigate the allegations.
Reacting to the development, Prof Shall said it was news to him as the petitioners did not give him a copy of the petition.
Shall, who assumed office in October last year, said he met a lot of problems in the university, including a court case and that his effort to put things right might not have gone down well with some people who wanted business as usual.
“There are some splinter groups that are trying to ensure that there is problem in the campus”, Shall said
Branch chairman of the Academic staff union of Universities (ASUU), Mr Molem Ishaku, who declared the union support to the vice chancellor, said the petitioners were on their own.
“They have no reason to embark on what they are doing. If they have any scores to settle, he is the chief executive why can’t they meet him?
Ishaku said based on such petitions, the EFCC recently visited the school, adding that if there was something serious the commission would have arrested the vice chancellor.
According to him, it was unfair for people to start finding fault at all cost with the vice chancellor who assumed office less than a year ago, particularly in the face of the insurgency crisis that affected the school forcing it to close for months.
Another prominent staff of the university who pleaded anonymity said those petitioners were collaborators of the past leadership of the school who scammed the institution.
According to him, Shall has high moral standard and reputation with proven integrity since when he was in the university of Maiduguri.
He called the petitioners “enemies of progress do not mean well for the school and the state at a large” He advised the lawmakers to discountenance the petition.
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