The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called for a public apology and the resignation of former Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, from his position as Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), over remarks the union says endanger university autonomy and undermine professors.
ASUU made the demand on Tuesday during a press conference at its Bauchi secretariat, addressed by the Chairperson of the union’s Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi Branch, Dr. Angulu Haruna.
Haruna said the union was disturbed by comments made by Yuguda at the conclusion of a recent National Assembly public hearing on a bill proposing the conversion of ATBU from a university of technology to a conventional university.
According to ASUU, Yuguda was quoted as saying that “any person who is against turning the University into a conventional University is a criminal,” a remark the union described as inappropriate and unbecoming of someone occupying a leadership role in university governance.
The ASUU chairperson further accused the former governor of showing blatant disregard for academics, alleging that Yuguda reacted to opposition from professors by exclaiming, “Who the hell are professors for goodness sake!”
Haruna said such remarks constitute an assault on university autonomy and academic freedom, emphasizing that participation in public hearings is a constitutional right.
“It is appalling and unfortunate for a former chief executive of a state to criminalise people who merely exercised their rights in a legislative process,” he said.
ASUU also argued that Yuguda’s conduct raises serious questions about his competence, integrity, and dedication to nation-building and national security, particularly given his current role as Pro-Chancellor of NOUN, a federal institution under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
“It is against this backdrop that our union is calling on Malam Isa Yuguda to publicly withdraw his statement and quietly resign from his position as Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria. You cannot preside over a system you hold with such disappointing contempt,” Haruna stated.
The union also challenged Yuguda’s claim that he played a key role in establishing ATBU’s College of Medical Sciences, insisting that the programme existed before his tenure and that the Bauchi State Government merely benefited from it after transferring a state specialist hospital to the Federal Government.
ASUU further condemned what it described as additional threats to university autonomy by a former Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Alhaji Ladan Salihu, who allegedly released a video accusing critics of the bill of being “enemies of the people of Bauchi State.”
Haruna warned that such language could endanger the safety of professors and university administrators.
The union called on the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Minister of Education, the Bauchi State Governor, and the President of Nigeria, in his capacity as Visitor to the university, to urgently intervene to protect ATBU, its governing council, and academic staff from intimidation and threats.
