House Removes Lawan as Education Chair

Hon. Farouk Lawan

The House of Representatives thursday removed Hon. Farouk Lawan as the Chairman, House Committee on Education. This came as the National Universities Commission (NUC)  announced plans to sponsor  a  bill  that would expand the scope of  its supervisory  powers  over  universities in the country.

However, in a minor cabinet  reshuffle, Lawan lost his seat to Hon. Aminu Suleiman, another lawmaker from Kano State. About six other committees witnessed minor  changes. Lawan had been suspended from the  chairmanship of the committee since his alleged involvement in the $620,000  fuel subsidy bribery scandal.

The bid by the NUC to have more powers came at a public hearing on two bills  and one motion organised by the  House Committee on Education. Among the issues discussed at the hearing was the incessant students unrest at the University of Abuja. The protests were blamed on the frustration of some students who have been in school for years but suddenly discovered that their programmes were not  validly accredited by the NUC.

Deputy Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Akinbode Agbaoye, who represented Executive Secretary of the Commission Prof Julius Okojie at the event disclosed that the commission had already put in place measures that would prevent the authorities of any Nigerian university  from admitting students into faculties and departments that have not been duly accredited.

“We have now put in place mechanisms that would prevent the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from offering admission to applicants of  departments that are not duly accredited. We also have an arrangement with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) just in case such an institution successfully shields an applicant throughout his academic  career,” he  said.

The  commission, Agbaoye said, had  in the past  advised the authorities at the various universities  against establishing new faculties when they lacked  the capacity to meet the requirements of the programmes. According to him, some  vice-chancellors have  ignored the  advice, leading to the kind of situation that played out at UniAbuja.

  He said that the proposed legislation will enhance the capacity of  the  commission to deal with erring universities.

Minister of Education,  Prof. Ruqayaat Rufa’i said the federal government would  soon  issue a white paper on the findings of a Visitation Panel which  investigated  the  problems at the University of Abuja.

The federal government, she said, was determined to  find a lasting solution to  the crisis which had plagued  the institution for several years.

She expressed dismay at the fact the institution which is supposed to be the  pride of the nation, was now the shame of the nation