Acting Vice Chancellor of Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano (YMSFUEK), Dr. Sadi Mohammed Sirajo, has refuted the allegations levelled against his appointment by the Academic Staff Union of the institution.

In addition, the acting VC insisted that ASU lacked the authority to call for the removal of the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from his position as Chairman of the Governing Council of YMSFUEK.

Lecturers at the university, under the platform of the Academic Staff Union (ASU), recently demanded the removal of the Chairman of the Governing Council and vowed to resist any alleged move to appoint a new VC without due process.

ASU, in a release, also alleged that the university’s council was orchestrating a plan to reappoint the acting VC as the new Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) upon the expiration of his tenure.

In response to the allegations, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr. Sadi Mohammed Sirajo, explained that he remains in his capacity pending the appointment of a new VC.

Clarifying the issues, Dr. Sirajo affirmed that although his tenure as acting VC ended on 14th June 2025, he would continue to serve as the “Chief Executive Officer (CEO)” because the leadership of the university could not be left in a vacuum.

“My tenure expired on Saturday, 14th June 2025, and since there is no room for a vacuum, I still remain as VC until the Council meets to deliberate on the next step. My appointment letter also approved my deployment as Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) at the expiration of my tenure as VC,” Dr. Sirajo said.

Reacting to the call for the removal of the Council Chairman, the acting VC challenged ASU to produce a legal document prohibiting a serving VC from also acting as Pro-Chancellor in another institution of higher learning.

The acting VC argued that only the Federal Government, which approved Professor Adamu Ahmad’s dual role as VC of ABU Zaria and Pro-Chancellor at YMSFUEK, has the authority to remove him.

On why the university continues to admit students for the National Certificate in Education (NCE) program after its upgrade to full university status, the acting VC said the intake for the 2024/2025 academic session was both necessary and lawful.

According to Dr. Sirajo, “Don’t forget the students had chosen our college before the upgrade to a university. So, the management raised the concern to the Council and the Federal Ministry of Education, which subsequently saw reason and approved the admission for NCE, essentially to ensure we did not have a zero session.”

Dr. Sirajo also debunked claims that the management and council were deliberately delaying necessary actions to complete the transition process, particularly the proper placement of staff eligible for professorial ranks.

“Regarding concerns over academic staff placement, it is not true that we are not taking any action. In fact, just a few weeks ago, we received a resource verification delegation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to approve our courses.

“These are some of the issues delaying the upgrade. Until NUC releases the results of the resource verification, other processes cannot proceed. It is only after that that the university can write to JAMB to enlist us. On staff placement, we are waiting for the committee set up by the Ministry to conduct the exercise,” Dr. Sirajo added.

The acting VC, however, insisted that the management does not recognise ASU as a proper member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) because the national body has yet to formally admit the YMSFUEK chapter.

He affirmed the management’s recognition of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COASU) in the university, although both ASU and COASU have yet to be officially recognised by ASUU.