Three months ago, Professesor Adam Ahmed emerged as Acting Academy Provost of Nigeria Defence Academy after an internal screening process. Five of his colleagues contested with him and he came tops, and no issues were raised afterwards. Three months after, the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (Rtd) who had earlier endorsed the peaceful and due process excersise in the appointment reversed himself by appointing another professor in person of Professor Isa Garba as substantive Academy Provost.
The appointment Prof Garba is now generating controversies and threatening the peace of the NDA. One of the professors who spoke to VerityNews, disclosed that the new AP is not one of them; he was just a visiting professor to NDA and did not participate in the first screening that threw up Prof Adam Ahmed. Prof Garba was formerly of department of Mechanical Engineering, at Bayero University, Kano.
Apart from the issues of subverting due process and competence, the minister’s intervention, according sources bordered on sectionalism. Prof Ahmed is from Kogi state, while Prof Garba is from Kano state, where the minister also comes from.
The NDA is under tension because of the imposition of someone considered an outsider. He was just a visiting professor and he did not participate in the screening exercise? It is like getting a job without an interview? What example are we showing?”, a professor who did not want his name mentioned asked.
Professor Garba was said to have got the nod from the Villa according to reports, a source said, “The sudden decision to appoint Prof. Garba as substantive AP of the NDA may have come as a directive from the Presidency”, considering that the minister had earlier approved Prof Ahmed’s appointment.
Before the latest twist, the whole appointment saga started when “five Professors with requisite academic qualifications from the academy were invited to submit their curriculum vitae, their case study, mission and vision for consideration to be appointed as Academy Provost of the institution.
“Those invited include, Professor David Oluwatoba Alabi of Political Science department, Professor Sunday Olawole Okeniyi of Chemistry department, Professor Sydney Chinedu Osuala of Maths and Computer department, Professor Jonathan Maduka Nwaedozie of Chemistry department and Professor Adam Okene Ahmed of History and War studies all staffers of the academy.
“After the processes commenced, Professor Nwaedozie was disqualified on grounds of age, in which case if appointed, he would have attained the age of retirement before the expiration of the tenure.
“All the invited Professors commenced the processes which included screening and physical interviews with Professor Ahmed topping in all of the processes for consideration.
Prof. Ahmed until his appointment to serve as Acting Academy Provost is the Director of Linkages and Collaboration of the academy whose impressive performance and emerging top in all of the processes got him the appointment as the Acting Academy Provost pending his confirmation as substantive.
That Prof. Ahmed is eminently qualified for that position and that he has both academic and administrative capacity to bring a turn around and build on the legacy of the immediate past provost, is not in doubt.
He was the best graduating student from the Department of History in 1987 from Bayero University, Kano after which he worked hard to acquire other academic laurels, through to becoming a professor. He has been in the academics since then.
A competent source who will not want his name in print confirmed that the Governing Council of the Academy under the Chairmanship of the Honorable Minister Magashi confirmed the appointment of Professor Ahmed who was the acting Academy Provost awaiting his official letter in substantive position.
“Then came the twist, when Professor Garba who was not part of the processes from the beginning emerged from no where and the same Minister who presided over the governing council meeting that confirmed Professor Ahmed, ordered that he (Prof. Garba) be interviewed and all of a sudden a letter through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence was sent to the academy for him to be confirmed as substantive Academy Provost of the NDA.
While many in the academic community are angry over the new development, Prof Ahmed himself is unperturbed. Sources told VerityNews he has since moved on, saying it is an act of God.
Yet, others said it is corruption, sectionalism and cronyism playing out at the NDA as it is in other sectors of the country since Buhari came to power.
Others have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in order not to taint his anti-curruption stance, “by ensuring that the man who participated in all the processes and earlier appointed in acting capacity and confirmed by council awaiting official letter, be allowed to serve in substantive capacity”
Part of the processes also was that and election in which other Professors including Associate professors were asked to elect from one of the four candidates and Professor Ahmed was elected and then it was gathered a memo was accordingly sent to the Ministry of Defence for the substantive appointment of Professor Ahmed whom the council had earlier confirmed awaiting official letter.
It was gathered that when Professor Garba was interviewed, he was found unappointable on a number of counts, first that he has not attained the number of years as an academic professor which should not be less than 10 years as a Professor to be so appointed as Academy Provost, and secondly that he lacks the administration capacity and knowledge, since he has never been a head of department, neither has he been a dean or academic director but only served as a sub Dean in the university and same report was sent to the Ministry.
Meanwhile, towards the end of June, 2020 the Academy Council in an meeting Presided by the Honourable Minister of Defence with Service Chiefs and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry met and it was recommended that Professor Ahmed be confirmed as substantive Academy Provost only for the same permanent Secretary sending a letter to the NDA appointing Professor Garba as substantive Academy Provost.
When contacted the Academy public Relation Officer Major Abubakar Abdullahi said the appointment of Provost lies with the NDA board which the Commandant is only a member.
“Appointing Academy Provost (AP) lies with NDA Board which the Commandant is only but a member. The Board has the final say on who to appoint AP base on his competence, experience and qualification”.
When contacted, the Special Assistant Media to the Minister of Defence Mohammad Abdulkadri declined comment on the alleged nepotic appointment of the Minister’s kinsman to head the Academy.
Also the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence Sabiu Zakari when contacted said the appointment followed due process.
He said Prof Garba was interviewed with the other four members though then he was not the Permanent Secretary of the ministry.
With reports from Leadership