The Federal Government will hold the Management and Councils of Federal Tertiary Institutions accountable for the use of its resources, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i has said.
Rufa’I, the Minister of Education, stated this in Abuja when she received the Reports on the 2011 Visitation to 26 Federal Universities and three inter-University Centres.
She said that most of the rancours generated within the university sector arose from lack of transparency in the deployment of resources.
“As managers of a vibrant subsector, all Vice-Chancellors as models must live above board. The ineptitude of Principal Officers and their Management will surely not go unnoticed.
“The system has now been revitalised with stronger enabling laws to curtail the excesses of overbearing managers,’’ she said.
Rufa’I appealed to Vice-Chancellors to uphold optimum standards and transparency, and the rule of law in the administration of the universities.
The minister warned that the Federal Government would not re-engage any member of the Governing Councils that had been indicted in the reports.
She said the visitation to the institutions was a five-year statutory activity to advice government on the state of the universities and the best way to move them forward.
Some of the Terms of Reference of the exercise were a review of the relationship between management on the one hand and staff and students on the other.
Others included the examination of the management of finances and the assessment of the condition of physical infrastructure and quality of instruction and instructional facilities.
Rufa’I said the visitation also included the proclamation, constitution and inauguration of the Visitation Panels, consideration and release of government white paper.