Crisis is brewing over an alleged move by the management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, Bauchi, to phase out all faculties and programmes not related to science and technology.

Addressing a press conference, the Bauchi State Citizens Forum — made up of professors, lawyers, and civil society activists — condemned the plan, describing it as a “regression” and a “bad omen” for the institution.

The group’s leader, Dr. Abdullahi Yelwa, revealed that a recent meeting between the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and ATBU’s management confirmed the development.

“It is clear that ATBU’s leadership is considering closing faculties such as Management Sciences, which will deny thousands of prospective students, especially those from Bauchi State, the chance to acquire university education,” Yelwa said.

However, ATBU management has dismissed claims that it is planning to scrap certain courses and shut down some faculties and departments in the institution, describing the allegations as unfounded, and a figment of the imagination of those peddling them.

The Director of Information and Public Relations of ATBU, Mr. Zailani Bappa, made the clarification while addressing journalists at the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Bauchi.

He stressed that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Hassan, has no intention of scrapping any faculty or discontinuing any academic programme in the university.

“There are essentially two issues raised in the press statement by the Bauchi State Concerned Citizens. None of these allegations is true because the Vice-Chancellor has not taken any such action,” Bappa stated.

He explained that the controversy arose from a recent meeting convened by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who summoned all Vice-Chancellors and Governing Council Chairmen of federal universities and informed them of the Federal Government’s decision to ensure that all universities strictly adhere to their founding mandates.

“As you all know, ATBU was established as a technology-based university. Over time, other management-related courses were introduced. Now, the Federal Government insists that such universities must return to their original mandate. This is not the Vice-Chancellor’s decision, nor that of the Governing Council, but a directive that must be implemented,” he clarified.

On the suspension of funding for the Directorate of Distance Learning, Bappa explained that since most of its programmes are management-related, continuing to fund the directorate under the new policy direction would amount to a waste of resources.

As a result, according to him, funding of the directorate has been temporarily put on hold in line with the Federal Government’s directive.

He therefore appealed for understanding from the Bauchi State Concerned Citizens and other stakeholders, adding that the matter was beyond the Vice-Chancellor and Governing Council, as they lack the power to alter the policy.

Instead, he urged stakeholders to rally support for the senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba Umar, in his efforts to ensure that the law establishing ATBU as a technology-based institution is amended to allow for a wider range of courses.

According to him, “Unless the law is amended to convert ATBU into a conventional university, there is nothing anyone can do to stop the current process of reverting to the original mandate.”

A chieftain of New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has declared that changing of text books on a yearly basis is causing more hardship for parents and guardians.

Oguntoyinbo, who spoke on Tuesday, advised the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa and other stakeholders in the education sector to halt such practice.

The NNPP chieftain made these declarations via a statement made available to Ekwutosblog.

He said, “The attitude of both private and government schools in changing text books every term has forced the parents to continuously buy new books every term for different classes.

“During our time, siblings were using textbooks of their elders. I am urging the government to stop changing textbooks every term or year, parents are groaning in pain.

“I call on the Minister of Education and the State Governors to stop this habit as parents are going through hell.

“I also call on the governments both at the state and the federal level to subside prices of text books to help the parents”.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has introduced a comprehensive list of entrepreneur courses in its new technical education curriculum for tertiary education.