The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) chapter, has demanded that Malam Isa Yuguda either publicly apologise or resign as Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) over alleged derogatory remarks against university professors.
Yuguda, a former governor of Bauchi State, came under fire following his appearance at a Senate public hearing last December on a bill seeking to convert ATBU from a technology-focused university into a conventional institution.
He was widely quoted as describing opponents of the bill as “criminals.”
Although Yuguda has denied making the statement, ASUU ATBU said lecturers were further angered by reports that he also exclaimed, “Who the hell are professors for goodness sake!” while expressing frustration at critics of the proposed legislation.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, ASUU ATBU Chairman, Dr. Angulu Haruna, described the comments as unacceptable, saying it was wrong for a former state chief executive to criminalise citizens for exercising their democratic right to express opinions during a legislative process.
“It is appalling and unfortunate for a former Chief Executive of a State to criminalise people who are legitimately participating in a legislative procedure,” Haruna said.
He added that the alleged remarks showed total disregard for professors and raised serious concerns about Yuguda’s competence and integrity to oversee a university system.
ASUU also dismissed Yuguda’s claim that he was instrumental to the establishment of ATBU’s College of Medical Sciences, insisting that the programme existed long before his intervention.
“Our College of Medical Sciences commenced much earlier before the former Governor’s intervention. His administration merely benefitted from the process,” Haruna said.
The union called on the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, the Minister of Education, the Bauchi State Governor, and the President to intervene in the matter.
“It is against this backdrop that our union is calling on Malam Isa Yuguda to publicly withdraw his statement and quietly resign as Chairman of the Governing Council of NOUN,” Haruna said.
Responding to the allegations, Yuguda maintained his support for the proposed conversion of ATBU but denied using offensive or vulgar language against professors.
He claimed that the viral video circulating online was manipulated, insisting the text attributed to him was generated using artificial intelligence.
“I could not have made adverse comments against professors. Those words are neither part of my vocabulary nor my character,” Yuguda said, adding that he holds academics in the highest esteem.
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