Dakwom Longgul reports from UNIJOS

As the selection process for a new Vice-Chancellor at the University of Jos gathers momentum, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Jos Branch, has taken an unprecedented step by convening a consultative session with student leaders to gather direct input on university governance, academic integrity, and campus welfare.

Organized by the ASUU–Student Relation Committee and held at the ASUU Secretariat, the meeting brought together key representatives, including executives of the Student Union Government (SUG), SUG Parliamentarian, Faculty Association leaders, and ethnic student union representatives. The engagement aimed to evaluate the historical, present, and future administrative trajectories of the institution as the tenure of the current university leadership nears completion

Speaking during the session, the Convener of the ASUU–Student Liaison Committee, Dr. Jimam Lar, emphasized that students remain the primary stakeholders of the university ecosystem. He noted that bridging the gap between academic staff and student leadership is crucial, particularly during administrative transitions

“For us in ASUU, when we are in the classroom, we are your lecturers. But on this platform, we meet as comrades in solidarity for the survival and progress of public university education,” Dr. Lar stated, adding that the perspectives gathered from the session will directly inform ASUU’s engagement with shortlisted Vice-Chancellor candidates.

In his address, the SUG President, comrade Younglan Talyoung highlighted the severe funding constraints facing student unionism due to changes in fee collection policies:

“When we came into office, we were elected on the 14th of February… SUG dues were typically collected as part of the main school fees. We were not aware when we assumed office that this arrangement had been removed by the Vice-Chancellor. In fact, even the Dean of Student Affairs was unaware that this change had taken place. So we came into office and, following precedent, applied for takeoff grants as usual… only to be told, ‘Oh, your dues are no longer with us. You are independent.’ … We have effectively become a charity case at the University of Jos.”

SUG President Unijos

President of ASUU, Comrade Chris Piwuna, who joined the meeting, commended the branch leadership for initiating the dialogue:

“Honestly, it’s a very important step. And I want to commend the EXCO, because to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time students specifically are being picked out to interact with them… for this EXCO to pick students on a specific day, just to hear from them and then aggregate their views so that it can influence who becomes the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos.”

During the interactive session, student leaders raised several critical operational and welfare challenges:Financial Autonomy of the SUG: SUG leadership expressed concern over the removal of student union dues from the university’s payment portal, leaving student bodies stranded and reliant on personal funds during emergencies

Reiterating ASUU’s commitment to academic excellence, the Union reassured student representatives that it maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against unethical conduct, result manipulation, and student victimization. ASUU leadership confirmed that the synthesis of student submissions from the session will form part of a briefing document to interrogate candidate vision during the upcoming Vice-Chancellor selection panel.

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ASUU UNIJOS Engages Student Leadership to Shape Incoming Vice-Chancellor’s Agenda