The Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU-ABU) has asked the institution to withdraw the degree certificate it issued to Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai.
According to the union after a congress meeting held on Wednesday, the governor’s actions are in contravention of the requirements in character and learning deemed worthy of the ABU degree award.
El-Rufai, the current governor of Kaduna State graduated from the Department of Quantity Surveying of the university some decades ago.
A statement jointly signed by ASUU branch Chairman, Harun Jibril and Secretary, Hussein Abdullahi said the union had deliberated over an attempt by El-Rufai to illegally and forcefully take over lands belonging to the institution, a Nigerian government-owned citadel of learning, despite a court order restraining him from doing so.
The land covering 196.258 hectares is situated at the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Mando in the Igabi Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that a court order dated January 18 and signed by Justice K. Dabo of the Kaduna State High Court, Zaria division had granted an interim order restraining the governor and the state’s attorney general, their servants, agents and proxies from further entering and trespassing on the said land.
Despite the order, Kaduna State Urban Development Authority (KASUPDA) workers were seen on the land demolishing a parameter fence earlier erected by ABU.
“The ASUU-ABU branch at its congress meeting of 2nd March, 2022 deliberated on the matter of the attempt by Nasiru El-Rufai, the executive Governor of Kaduna State to illegally and forcefully and in utter disregard of an order by a competent court of law, take over lands belonging to the Ahmadu Bello University, an institution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a historic and premier university.
“Issue an advisory to the relevant organs of Ahmadu Bello University to formally withdraw the degree certificates awarded to Nasir El-Rufai by the university as his many actions are in contravention of the requirements in character and learning deemed worthy of ABU degree award,” the union said.
