Babalola faults NUC on closure of varsities
Founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Afe Babalola, SAN, has condemned the closure of universities by the Nigerian Universities Commission, describing it as unacceptable.
Babalola who said that the NUC lacked the constitutional and statutory power to shut down any university, added that the commission overreached itself with its action.
The regulatory body had on February 3, ordered the temporary closure of universities across Nigeria between February 22 and March 14, 2023, because of the coming general elections.
The foremost legal icon who spoke yesterday at ABUAD campus during the induction ceremony of the institution’s medical students noted that the closure of universities remains the prerogative of institutions’ authorities.
Babalola cited relevant sections of the NUC Act of 1974 and the Education National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institution Act of 1985 to buttress that the regulatory agency had no jurisdiction to shut down universities for the purpose of election.
He added that the closure of universities has done irreparable damage to students with their academic calendar disrupted as their problems were compounded by the scarcity of naira notes which he said made their transportation back home difficult.
His words: “It is abundantly clear that the NUC has no statutory power to carry out the instruction of Minister to close down all universities under any guise whatsoever talkless of the election.
“Our criminal code and other legislations have provisions which the government and law enforcement agents can evoke to deal with any person who the security agents have reasons to believe as likely to put the security of staff, students and property of respective institutions in jeopardy.
“To me, it would be improper to ask a landlord with his family to quit the family house because security agencies are aware that some criminals want to attack his house. The prudent thing would be to beef up security around the house.
“The alternative is that since the security agents are of the view that the election would not be devoid of violence, they should have advises the government to postpone the elections and ascertain the problems that could engender violence during the election and evoke the law against the offenders and not the closure of universities.”
