President Bola Tinubu has mandated a thorough reassessment of the recently announced governing boards of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions before their official inauguration and retreat.

This directive follows public concerns about the nominations not reflecting the country’s federal character.

The Federal Ministry of Education had recently unveiled the list of nominees for chairmen, Pro-Chancellors, and members of the boards and councils of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The inauguration and retreat for the nominees were initially scheduled for May 31.

However, a statement from Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, highlighted public feedback indicating that the nominations were unevenly distributed among states. Some states received multiple nominations while others got only one.

“In directing a complete review of the list of members, President Tinubu acknowledges the feedback across the country,” Alake stated. “President Tinubu is committed to ensuring strict compliance with the principle of federal character as entrenched in the constitution.”

The review will focus on achieving a balanced national representation, ensuring that all parts of the country are adequately represented in these appointments.

This decision follows criticism from the Bauchi zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which on Tuesday, denounced the appointments.

The union suggested that the administration should consider reinstating the previously dissolved board members instead.