Tinubu appoints new NUC executive secretary, other agencies’ bosses

About 17 months after the substantive Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abubakar Raheed, a professor, resigned from office, President Bola Tinubu on Friday announced a replacement.

In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, the new NUC helmsman is Abdullahi Ribadu, a professor and an expert in veterinary reproduction.

Mr Onanuga’s statement reads in part: “President Tinubu appointed Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, a visiting professor at the NUC, as the organisation’s Executive Secretary.”

Mr Ribadu, currently a visiting professor at the NUC, has served as vice chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Yola, and the Sule Lamido University, Jigawa State.

Backstory

Mr Rasheed, a former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano (BUK), who was reappointed for another five-year term of office in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, resigned his appointment in 2023.

He reportedly announced his resignation in Abuja on Monday 26 June 2023 while presenting the approval certificate to a new university in Kogi State.

Speaking on his choice, the former ES said for seven years he led the management team of NUC to implement some of the recommendations that was presented to him by the staff on assumption of office in 2016.

He said: “I chose to stand before the staff of NUC to confirm the widely circulated rumor about my exit from office. This is true and well-thought out by me. I purposely chose to disengage from the Commission and get back to my pride. I have lost interaction with my PhD students in the last couple of years”.

While away

Some years before Mr Rasheed left NUC the governing board of the agency had completed its term but a new board was yet to be appointed when Mr Tinubu announced a sweeping dissolution of governing boards of many agencies and parastatals of the government.

Since then, the NUC, saddled with the responsibility of regulating the country’s university system, has been without a board while almost all the directors also continued to work in acting capacities.

PREMIUM TIMES consistently reported the poor practices at the agency and the refusal to retire by some of its officials who were already due for retirement based on the government’s new public service rules.

Following this newspaper’s reports, one of the concerned officials who was then the Director of Private Universities Establishment, Constance Goddy-Nnadi, voluntarily retired from office.

Other appointments

Meanwhile, President Tinubu also announced heads of other agencies of the government apart from Mr Ribadu.

The other agencies are the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD).

According to Mr Onanuga, the President appointed Salisu Shehu, a professor, as Executive Secretary of the NERDC, and Jabiru Tsauri’ as the National Coordinator of NEPAD.

READ ALSO: Tinubu approves leadership changes at two federal universities

About Shehu, Tsauri’

The statement described Mr Shehu as a renowned academic in educational and human psychology. “He was instrumental in establishing the School of Continuing Education at Bayero University, Kano, and was the Vice-Chancellor of Al-Istiqamah University, Kano.”

Also, Mr Tsauri is said to hold a Master’s in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University. “He is a seasoned administrator with expertise in legislative affairs, global affairs, and democratic governance and vast experience in public service.”

“The President believes the appointees’ experience and track record will bring a new sense of commitment, progress, and positive outcomes to fulfil Nigerians’ expectations of their respective organisations,” the statement noted.