Reps Summon ABU VC, Management Over Alleged Infractions

The House of Representatives has summoned Prof. Kabiru Bala, Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, alongside the institution's management team over alleged infractions identified in documents submitted to the House.

The Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, Abubakar Fulata, announced the summon on Thursday in Abuja. According to Fulata, the committee, during its oversight duties, uncovered discrepancies in the documents provided by the university. He expressed disappointment that the ABU Vice Chancellor and other principal officers failed to honor the committee's invitation for clarification.

Fulata emphasized that the summon is part of the National Assembly's constitutional oversight responsibilities and is not an attempt to witch-hunt anyone. He added that there is no reason for any "hide-and-seek" tactics, as the National Assembly's duty is to ensure that appropriated funds are utilized properly.

In a related development, Fulata called on the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Education, Zaria, Dr. Suleiman Balarabe, to ensure compliance with the Federal Character Principles in recruitment. He criticized several universities for failing to follow the constitutionally mandated recruitment processes, which require equitable representation of all states. He stressed that each state should have 2.7% representation in federal universities, the FCT should hold 1%, and the host state should have a maximum of 3%.

The House Committee’s actions are geared towards enforcing transparency and accountability in the recruitment processes within federal universities across Nigeria.