Tension is mounting at the Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA) over the alleged promotion and appointment of a staff member said to be on secondment to the Nasarawa State Government as Deputy Director of the Centre for Autism and Neurodegenerative Disorders (CAND).
The controversy follows the recent establishment of six CAND centres in selected universities, including FULAFIA, by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
The centres, which are expected to attract huge funding, have raised expectations among staff. However, some staff members allege that the leadership of the FULAFIA centre has been hijacked.
According to a Special Bulletin published by the university on October 18, 2026, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mohammed Ishaq Kida, approved the appointment of several academic and administrative officers. They include Prof. Nasirudeen M. Baba as Director, Centre for Security Studies; Prof. Sunday Abraham Musa as Director, CAND; and Dr. Andrew Yakubu as Deputy Director, CAND.
The appointment of Dr. Yakubu has, however, sparked outrage, as he is reportedly yet to resume from his secondment.
Sources in the university said extant regulations prohibit a staff member on secondment from being considered for promotion or appointment to an administrative position until he formally disengages from the secondment and returns to the university.
A member of staff who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that the Dean, Faculty of Education, misled management by claiming that Dr. Yakubu had disengaged from the state government.
The source claimed that a similar move was made last year to secure promotion for the same staff while he was still on secondment.
Narrating the sequence of events, another source said Dr. Yakubu had in early September 2026 rejected final year students assigned to him for project supervision, insisting that he was still on secondment and that his secondment would mature in February 2027. The students were subsequently re-assigned to other lecturers.
The source further alleged that in October 2025, the staff claimed to have resumed from secondment to secure promotion, while still retaining his political appointment with the state government.
A source in the Human Resources Unit of the Establishment Directorate alleged that funds exchanged hands before the said promotion was effected, nearly two months after other qualified staff were promoted in 2025.
It was further gathered that while the appointment was announced on October 18, 2026, management issued a letter on Monday, October 19, 2026, requesting Dr. Yakubu to provide evidence of disengagement from the Nasarawa State Government.
Some staff have called for an independent verification of his salary earnings from both the university and the state government.
When contacted, a staff member who declined to be named for fear of victimisation accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), FULAFIA branch, of keeping silent over the matter.
According to him, many lecturers are afraid to petition the union, which they described as a lame duck and an appendage of management.
Efforts to get official reactions from the university management and the ASUU branch chairman were unsuccessful as of press time.
Meanwhile, concerned staff have appealed to the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Governing Council of the university to intervene and reverse the appointment to prevent a precedent where staff on political appointments continue to enjoy promotion and administrative positions while on secondment.
They warned that such a trend would demoralise dedicated staff and affect students.
