The Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has said that the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has no statutory power to issue a directive to the National Universities Commission (NUC) to close universities.
Babalola reacted to the recent directive by the Executive Secretary (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed on February 3 that the nation’s universities be shut down between Wednesday February 22 and Tuesday March 14, 2023 to avoid security challenges as general elections hold on February 25 and March 11.
Babalola, who premised his reaction under the NUC Act of 1974, the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act of 1985 and Section 2 (1) of the Education Act, added that the forced closure of the universities by the Minister of Education and the NUC has done irreparable damage to the students.
The SAN made the remark yesterday in Ado- Ekiti at the ABUAD 5th Induction Ceremony where 123 medical doctors were inducted at the Alfa Belgore Hall of the institution. According to Babalola: “The problems have been worsened by scarcity of money by banks and automated teller machines (ATM) all of which has made their transportation back home more dangerous than ever before.
“Under the NUC Act of 1974 and the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act of 1985, the minister has no statutory power to issue a directive to NUC to close down universities. I refer in particular to section 4(2) of the 1974 (NUC) Act.
“If you want to destroy a nation, you don’t need bayonets, bombs or nuclear warheads. All you need is to destroy the education of the nation. “The illegal closure has adversely affected the curriculum particularly in respect of private universities which are reputed for their predictable academic calendar and absence of strike actions
.” On a new constitution, Babalola pointed out that the problem that is causing apprehension among the transactional politicians is the 1999 Constitution. “It is this constitution that has made politics the only lucrative business in Nigeria today. This is responsible for the orgy of ‘do or die’ politics,” he said.
