Afe Babalola condemns the closure of universities for the elections

Former statesman and founder of Afe Babalola, Ado-Ekiti University (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola has accused the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) of ordering the massive closure of Nigerian universities because of the upcoming elections in the country.

Nigeria's Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu had on February 3, 2023 ordered the NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed to close all universities in Nigeria between Wednesday February 22 and Tuesday February 14 March 2023 due to "expressed concerns about the safety of staff, students and property of the respective institutions".

Babalola, a former pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos, was particularly upset that the ministerial directive to close all universities in Nigeria could be passed on to the NUC, the regulatory authority for university education in Nigeria , without notice or consultation. with the vice-chancellors, owners and board of directors of all private universities, major players in the educational landscape of the country.

His words: "The forced closure of Nigerian universities by the Minister of Education and the NUC has caused irreparable damage to students in Nigerian universities. Their problems have been compounded by lack of money from banks and tellers automated banking machines (ATMs), all of which have made transportation home more dangerous than ever. predictable academic schedule and the absence of a strike."

He feared that Nigeria seemed to ignore the age-old maxim that "if you want to destroy a nation, you don't need bayonets, bombs or nuclear warheads. All you need is to destroy his education."

Commending civilized nations for prioritizing how not to disrupt the academic calendar of universities, the leading educator recalled the events surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic that shook the entire world to its foundations between November 2019 and most of 2020 as a result of which the then British Prime Minister, Mr Boris Johnson, loudly declared that: “Covid 19 is a disaster, while school closures are more disastrous. Keeping schools closed any longer than absolutely necessary is socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible. Without a return to formal education, a generation of children risks having their job and income prospects shattered. »

Terrified by the ministerial directive that was taken by the hook, line and sinker of the NUC, the legal juggernaut who spoke at the induction of ABUAD's 123 newly qualified doctors on Monday, raised the following posers: "Does the Minister of Education have statutory authority to order NUC to close universities due to 'upcoming elections and concerns expressed about the safety of staff, students and assets of the respective institutions?

"Does NUC have the statutory authority to close all or part of the university due to" the upcoming elections and concerns expressed about the safety of staff, students and property of the respective institutions?

"Is there no provision in our law to deal with any security reports by security agencies alleging concerns about the safety of staff, students, and property of the respective institutions?

"Was the order to close the universities known to the President, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of the Interior, or the Executive Council?" To answer these questions, Babalola relied on the combined effects of the NUC Act of 1974 and the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act of 1985 and returned the verdict that the minister does not have the statutory authority to issue a directive to the NUC to close Nigerian universities for the reasons given.

Section 4(2) of the 1974 (NUC) Act states: "The Minister may give the Commission general directions relating generally to particular matters, in relation to the exercise by the Commission of its duties under this Act, and it is the duty of the Commission to comply with such directives.”

According to Babalola, the functions for which the Minister can issue directives under this law are non-compliance with regulations in academic matters and not matters related to the election.

"Clearly, the minister has no statutory power to direct the NUC to close universities." he asserted. Relying on section 2(1) of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act 1985, Babalola said: "It is perfectly clear that the NUC has no statutory power to carry out the Minister's instruction to close all universities.

It is also apparent from the wording of the section of the...