Don’t Celebrate Yet, Yayale Patriotic, Incorruptible Leader, Can’t Be Deceived – Concerned Stakeholders
By Waziri Isa Adam
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of one of the few patriotic and credible surviving Nigerians, Alhaji (Dr) Mahmud Yayale Ahmed (Ajiyan Katagum), as the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was greeted with excitements and jubilations this morning by many members of the university community, particularly those who know his antecedents and pedigree as a no nonsense, highly credible and disciplined civil servant.
Majority of the members of the university community widely hailed the appointment which, in their opinion, is one of the best in the university’s recent history, and who expressed optimism that Yayale’s appointment, after having served in the same capacity in Bayero University Kano, was a divinely decreed one, meant to save the university from its present state of misrule, that if not halted immediately, it may lose its leading and pace setting moral and academic status in the country.
However, few members of the university community, especially those on the alleged camp of the incumbent Vice Chancellor, Professor Kabiru Bala, see Alhaji Yayale’s appointment as a great boost to their camp, which had long been scheming to have one of them to succeed their mentor and principal.
Members of the Vice Chancellor’s alleged camp who are predominantly young academics, majority of whom lack or have limited knowledge of university administration, politics and dynamics, have long been strategically positioned, and undergoing tutelage by their benefactor on how to contest the Vice Chancellor’s coveted stool, according to Education Monitor’s investigations, are planning to commence strategic meetings to pick the best/s among them to present to the Pro-chancellor as the only candidate/s that know/s the university’s challenges, and who have what it takes to fix them, after having been properly mentored by Professor Kabiru Bala, who they call the father of modern ABU.
Members of this camp who are rumoured to have been giving people the impression that they have long been on the same page with the Pro-chancellor, a reason why, according to them, they persuaded him, more than one year ago, to accept the Vice Chancellor’s nomination as Chairman of the University’s Endorsement Fund, an argument they claimed they used, in their lobbying strategies, to convince the powers that be in Abuja, that if Yayale is appointed as Pro-chancellor, he will use the position better to mobilize resources for the university, and give it a focused leadership direction.
However, commenting on Professor Yayale’s appointment, a renowned, and one of the highly respected Professors in the university, who preferred to be anonymous, who spoke on behalf of what he called ‘Concerned ABU Stakeholders’ commended the appointment which he described as one of the best knowing who the man – Yayale is.
He argued that those who think that they can use power of lobby or money to influence the Yayale-led council to have their way will receive a shocker for their lives.
He said Yayale is one hundred percent different from the late Sule Katagum, or Adamu Fika who, as Pro-chancellor, was brazenly manipulated during the last council that produced the present leadership or incumbent Vice Chancellor, in violation of many procedures.
“If money, intimidation or abuse of law and procedures were entertained by the leadership of the last council, the present council under Yayale can not tolerate that becase Yayale is a fearless, patriotic and incorruptible leader who can not be lured by anybody, even if it is the President, to do the wrong thing. This is a fact that I know about the man”, the Professor opined.
“So, those who are celebrating and claiming or lying that because they lobbied to ensure that he was appointed as the Pro-chancellor, or think because he accepted to serve as the Chairman of the Endowment Fund of ABU, under the present leadership of the university, and therefore will help their benefactor’s candidate to clinch the Vice Chancellor’s position, in violation of rules and procedures, will surely be disappointed”, spokesman of the concerned ABU stakeholders assured.
The Professor clearly faulted the claim by the Vice Chancellor’s so called camp which is a group of unknown people in Nigeria’s history and politics.
“For these people to claim that they were the ones that lobbied for Yayale’s appointment, they must be shameless liars and idiots, because, this is a personality who rose through the dint of hard work, from his childhood, to occupy almost all important positions in the country, aside from only the position of the country’s vice president and president.”
He said this is somebody who had served almost every important President and in every key ministry, as Minister in this country and ended up well, without any blemish record, or compromising his integrity.
“I can not therefore see or imagine how such a fine, successful and accomplished civil servant will now be manipulated by a bunch of greedy, corrupt and inexperienced ignoramuses”, he added.