Although Abdulrasheed’s sacking came in form of an imposed terminal leave, the incoming VC is said to have been appointed as an acting Vice-Chancellor of the university.
The dismissal came as a surprise as Abdulrasheed’s tenure would have ended by July 27, 2019.
After the move was made public, Kwara state’s Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Abdullahi Alikinla encouraged the new VC to “take charge of responsibilities relating to the smooth running of the institution in accordance with the law establishing it.”
The commissioner explained that the Governor gave the order in line with the powers conferred on him in the institution’s constitution.
Alikinla stated that the law gives the state’s governor the power to either appoint or remove a vice chancellor after appropriate consultations.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, the institution’s governing council chairman, Saka Nuru, did not support the move by the government, insisting that it was an unlawful act.
Saka Nuru reportedly stated, “This directive is not in tune with the University’s law and is going to lead to distraction from the Rain Semester examination and the process appointment of principal officers that are currently in progress,” the newspaper quoted Professor Nuru as saying.
“This action of the state government is illegal and the Governing Council of KWASU has no hand in the directive.”
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