Governance - University Autonomy and Cost Recovery Policies: Union Contestation and Sustainable University System
	by Ifeanyi Onyeonoru

Abstract : The question of university autonomy in Nigeria has been an issue of intensive struggles between several Nigerian governments (in particular military) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The issue has led to industrial disputes between the two parties especially since the 1990s. As part of the ongoing restoration and democratization efforts in Nigerian public institutions, ASUU sponsored the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Ammendment) Act 2003 that among other things makes new provisions, for the autonomy, management and re-organization of the universities in Nigeria. Major features of the bill include the restoration of the powers of the council on administrative matters and that of the senate on academic matters, as well as the participation of students in aspects of university governance. The bill was passed by both houses of the National Assembly on the 3rd of July 2003 and given assent by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the 10th of July 2003. During his second tenure however, the President in 2004 introduced a belated bill, which among others gave enormous and arbitrary powers to the vice chancellor and the visitor as well as entrusts much of crucial matters in university governance on persons or bodies external to the university. Essentially the President in the new bill sought to modify the previous one not just to suit its cost recovery reforms, but also to do so through means considered an erosion of university autonomy. Part of the paradigmatic shift in official policy is the liberalization of university ownership in which private universities are promoted as a model for the Obasanjo government’s deregulation policy. But more than serve as a model, the private universities are viewed more or less as competitors with state owned universities rather than a complement. The events have once again threatened the stability of the university system as ASUU has indicated its resolve to fight the bill which it has described as an incurable bad bill, that should be set aside. This is based on the observation of the Union that: the provisions of the bill which express a super-vice chancellor image of a university would undermine university autonomy and vitiate the essence of the university; it assaults the principle and practice of democratic governance and academic freedom, and promotes authoritarianism in universities; some of its provisions have the potentials of generating instability in the university system; it contains certain clauses that are in breach of the Nigerian constitution, the laws of the land and international conventions; the bill is premised on erroneous and pedestrian view and distorted notion of the university which put the nation to ridicule in the international community; the bill violates the Federal government /ASUU Agreements of 1983, 1992, 1999 and 2001; and that aspects of the bill have the potentials of under-developing Nigeria. The paper is essentially a diagnosis of the paradigmatic framework of the two bills in question, and a discussion of their implications for university autonomy, institutional democracy and sustainable university system in Nigeria. Some of the structures examined in terms of their implications for university autonomy are, the National University Commission (NUC), which is the regulating body for Nigerian universities with powers that transcend the university senate and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) which has the basic responsibility for admissions into Nigerian universities. The discussions therefore, embrace the power structure prescribed in the bills for university councils vis-à-vis the vice chancellor/senate and others, union-university relations and the contradictions of centralized staff unions and decentralized reward systems being proposed by the government as well as the implications of these for university autonomy. Download the paper :
File	Colloquium - December 04 - Onyeonoru.doc
Publication Year	2004-11-12 11:00 am