Quadri Yahya
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah on Monday said classes have commenced on the campus.
In a polite, long message to the university community, Prof. Na’Allah admonished lecturers to attend to their students and not ‘jeopardize’ the academic activities due to what the VC referred to as ‘internal miscommunication or misunderstanding between Management and a certain group of academic staff’.
ACW-UA Press Club reports that there have been back and forth between the school management and the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), UniAbuja as the Union declared indefinite strike over internal issues bordering on ‘refusal to conduct elections for the office of the Deans of Faculties and Provost, College of Health Sciences’.
Daily Trust reported last week that ‘the Union also accused the University of carrying out promotion of some members of staff without following due process’.
However, about two weeks after resumption, the VC urged the lecturers to begin work in earnest as the management prepares to review the school calendar for coming academic sessions.
The message reads in part: “I want to reassure all staff and students that internal miscommunication or misunderstanding between Management and a certain group of academic staff MUST NOT affect our dear students and their regular lectures or the academic calendar approved for them to attend classes this semester.*
“Students would graduate as and when due. Classes have since started on the UofA campus, academic staff must not drag and wait to teach their classes, and all students must promptly be in attendance!
“No academic staff would jeorpadise the interest of their students due to certain misunderstandings that should not be allowed to disrupt the future of their dear students!
“I cannot emphasize enough the need for all Heads of Department and All Deans, if not already done, to ensure prompt indication of the Second Semester courses in the Integrated Portal for their students and where this has not been done already, the Dean must mobilize the HODs to take immediate action. The University will not hesitate to make a swift and urgent intervention in cases where any HOD fails to act.
“The University Senate will meet today at 11a.m to approve new Academic Calendars for the next few years to ensure consistency in the UofA academic timetables in such ways that staff would have the whole summer off if they want, and students would have opportunity to make up the courses they have failed in the summer classes. Attendance at Senate meetings is compulsory for all Senate members without exception, i. e., HODs and Deans and Directors and Professors as attendance list shall be taken.*
The VC further noted that the postponed Matriculation Ceremony for newly admitted students will be held “in the next few days”.
Prof. Na’Allah said: “As the new Students hold the Matriculation Ceremony in the next few days, I emphasize that just as the lecturers work hard and teach, attendance in classes would determine students that would write the end of semester exam and graduate with flying colours. Do your best to NOT be left behind. Your university supports you!”
ACW-UA Press Club reports that the freshmen will be matriculating after writing a semester examination on campus.
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