Justice delayed is justice denied: The unresolved FCE(T) Akoka crisis of 2024, By Naseer Kura
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa [PHOTO CREDIT: @DrTunjiAlausa] The Minister of Education must be able to answer the following questions in order for justice to be done: Does the Federal College of Education (Technical) deserve a substantive Provost? Did the Provost who was asked to ‘step aside’ misrule, mismanage funds, or run down the College while serving as the substantive Provost? Did he execute the government projects, as expected? Did he violate the government rules or disobey the Governing Council that warranted his being perpetually placed on a ‘step aside’. For how long will it take Minister of Education to perform his role as the Visitor and release the report of the visitation panel to the Governing Council to implement? How would one explain a crisis that started on the 27th of May, 2024, and for which there has not been a final resolution to date? Is it a matter of the nonchalance of arbiters or a compromise? Is the Ministry or Minister of Education deliberately using delay tactics to claim that events have overtaken the matter? History is always there to guide our activities and actions. There are pertinent questions this article is asking for answers to be provided. Members of the public, staff, and students have expressed concern that since August 2024, months after the inauguration of the panels, the findings of the initial panels took five months to be submitted to the Minister of Education. It is a principle of law that justice delayed is justice denied. It is an act of injustice to punish a person who did not commit any offence, when those who instigated the crisis and participated in the riot, while some of them were arrested and taken to court, are still working freely in the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos. The current Minister of Education asked the technocrats in the Federal Ministry of Education to review the report submitted by the Chairman of the College Governing Council, in order to be sure that the recommendations are in line Civil Service Rules (CSR) and Extant Circulars. On 9 May, 2025, the then Chairman of Governing Council of the College, Dr Adeniyi O Adenuga was posted to Federal College of Education, Iwo, Osun State, while Honourable Justice (rtd.) Muhammad Suleiman Ambursa was posted to the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa subsequently raised and inaugurated a Special Visitation Panel on 29 July, 2025. The panel was chaired by the former Governor of Bauchi State and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) His Excellency Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, plus nine other members, who were mandated to examine all the issues plaguing the institution and recommend solutions. This action was taken in response to a prolonged period of instability, which included concerns about the Provost, Dr Ademola Azeez’s tenure and other administrative issues. The panel was specifically tasked to conduct a comprehensive investigation and recommend to the Minister’s office. The 10-member panel was inaugurated on Tuesday, 29th July, 2025 in Abuja by Dr Alausa, who explained that the panel’s formation followed a report submitted by the Governing Council of the College, which documented a prolonged crisis that had severely disrupted academic and administrative operations in the institution. The Minister described the government’s action as a decisive step towards holistically addressing the crisis and restoring discipline, accountability, and effective governance at the College and in other tertiary institutions facing similar issues. According to the Minister, “This is not a fault-finding mission driven by sentiment. It is a structured intervention aimed at restoring institutional integrity and creating an environment conducive to learning and academic growth”… “The panel has been given a two-week deadline to submit its findings and recommendations to the ministry,” he said. Reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening institutional credibility under the Renewed Hope Agenda, Alausa urged members of the panel to approach their task with diligence, fairness, and a strong sense of national duty. Responding on behalf of the panel, its Chairman, Mohammed Abubakar (SAN) pledged a thorough and impartial investigation into the crisis at the institution. “I am accepting this knowing fully well that it is a very important responsibility… I assure you that we will leave no stone unturned in getting to the root of the problem,” Abubakar stated. He commended the Minister for his foresight in constituting the panel and lauded the selection of experienced professionals to handle the assignment. He also assured the Minister, the National Commission for Colleges of Education, and all stakeholders that the panel would discharge its duties with integrity, objectivity, and professionalism. The Terms of Reference of the Special Visitation Panel on FCE(T), Akoka were to: Examine the historical background, nature, and scope of the crisis, including administrative, governance, and industrial relations dimensions. Review the roles and actions of staff unions during the crisis period, including their impact on college operations, governance stability, and service delivery. Investigate the conduct and performance of the former and acting Provosts, particularly in relation to delays in signing official documents and other administrative lapses. Identify individuals or groups responsible for acts of misconduct, including, but not limited to, the physical locking of the Provost’s office, obstruction of administrative duties, and any other unlawful activities. Assess the functionality and impartiality of the institution’s internal disciplinary mechanisms, including the roles of key officials such as the Registrar, internal Council members, and other implicated parties. Evaluate whether due process and institutional regulations were observed in addressing complaints and disciplinary matters throughout the crisis. Recommend appropriate disciplinary actions against all persons found culpable, including interdiction, dismissal, demotion, or referral to appropriate regulatory or law enforcement bodies. Advise the Ministry on legal, administrative, and institutional reforms necessary to prevent future occurrences of similar crises in the College or other Federal Colleges of Education. Having completed its assignment since 4th September, 2025, why has the Minister of Education not received the report of the Special Visitation Panel? Our investigation reveals that this act of the Minister of Education is alien and strange to the practice and laid down processes of the Ministry of Education, which has produced great administrators and technocrats as its Ministers across different eras. Our enquiry reveals that the panel had made efforts to submit its report but the Minister has not shown interest in receiving the report, despite the fact that the representative of the Minister, Dr Ismaila Oduola Adiatu, also a Medical Doctor, was part of the panel’s sittings throughout the assignment. It is pertinent to probe why the Minister of Education is playing a waiting game this time around, despite the availability of the Report of the Panel he set up. He needs to brief the public on why there has been a delay, and if there are other interests that the Minister is answering to beyond what he can tell Nigerians. This is a public office and whoever is found guilty of maladministration, mismanagement, misbehaviour, gross misconduct should not be spared. The Minister needs to be reminded that the processes must be concluded without keeping the public in suspense. By now, it is expected that there should have been a White Paper on the report, thereby making it public, as required under the law. We strongly believe that justice delayed is justice denied. This writer’s investigations reveal that the members of the Panel were carefully selected by the Ministry of Education. The Chairman of the Special Visitation Panel, His Excellency Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar is a seasoned politician, the immediate past governor of Bauchi State, a respected legal mind, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Other members include Mr Omotayo Folaranmi Adeyemi, who is a retired and immediate director, Human Resources Management Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja. He is a versed and experienced hand in the interpretation of Civil Service Rules (CSR), Schemes and Conditions of Service, and other related policies. Professor Faruk Rashid Haruna is one of the longest-serving education administrators in Nigeria. He represented the Committee of Provosts (COP) on the Panel. He was the chairman of the COP and Provost of Federal College of Education, Kontagora, Niger State. Haruna is an experienced and seasoned administrator who was nominated to serve as a member in the Panel. Dr Ismaila Oduola Adiatu, a medical doctor, works directly as a senior special adviser (SSA) to the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Alausa. Adiatu is medical director (MD) at the Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York, United States of America. He served from the beginning of the assignment to the conclusion of the tasks. He was reported to have signed the final report of the Panel, which his boss, Dr Alausa has not received up till now. Another member of the Panel is Dr Umar Adamu Kwami, who is the director of Academic Programmes Department at the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in Abuja, FCT. He is an experienced and seasoned administrator. Dr Smart Olugbeko also served as a member of the Special Visitation Panel. He was the president of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) at the time of the sittings. He is a chief lecturer/associate professor, educationist and administrator. Also, a unionist, negotiator and defender of staff rights. He was recorded to have insisted that due process was followed whenever any staff was being tried for one allegation or the other. He pushed to make sure that the rules were kept to without fear or favour. Comrade Ali Danladi Msheliza is the president of Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN). He is an administrator and deputy registrar of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe. He is a defender of senior non-teaching staff and is reported to have defended the interests of its union members at different times. Comrade Msheliza served on the Special Visitation Panel from the beginning to the end. Equally, Comrade Adetunji Adeleye Carroll is the deputy general secretary representing the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU). He is a seasoned administrator, negotiator and unionist, who has represented his Union in various public and private sector panels in which NASU members were involved. Comrade Carroll represented NASU on the Special Visitation Panel from the beginning to its conclusion. Mr Godwin C Egbunefu is a deputy director in the Department of Colleges of Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja. He is a seasoned administrator who served as the Secretary of the Special Visitation Panel set up by the Minister of Education. He was in charge of the secretariat of the panel throughout its assignment. Dr Ademola Azeez, Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical), asked to “step aside” pending the recommendations of the report of the Special Visitation Panel. Mr Samuel Etu is a deputy director in the Department of Colleges of Education of Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja. He served as the co-secretary of the Special Visitation Panel. He assisted the secretary of the Panel throughout its assignment. He is also a seasoned administrator who has served on various panels of the Ministry at different times. With the calibre of professionals and technocrats that served on the panel, it is strange to discover that the Minister of Education has still not officially received the report of the Special Visitation Panel. The chairman of the Panel, who led other members, is a rounded administrator, as mentioned, a former public servant, former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Bauchi State branch, a former attorney general and commissioner of Justice in Bauchi State, former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and National Electoral Commissioner (NEC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a member of the National Judicial Council, (NJC), a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and immediate past elected governor of Bauchi State on the APC platform. One would have thought that the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa would appreciate these distinguished Nigerians, professionals, administrators and unionists who served on the panel by receiving the report of the assignment he gave them and issue a white paper on their recommendations. It is to be recalled that in 2020, the former Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu also set up a special presidential visitation panel to University of Lagos (UNILAG), following the leadership crisis that engulfed the institution when the Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, was removed. The presidential visitation panel to UNILAG submitted its report on 31 August, 2021, alongside other panels. “The special presidential visitation panel was given four terms of reference to review the process of the removal of Vice-Chancellor (VC); whether it was consistent with the law, and appointment of the acting VC, whether it followed the law, whether the VC was given a fair hearing, and then the allegations that were presented by the pro-chancellor and chairman of the Council, Dr. Wale Babalakin. The Panel submitted its report, and the government considered its report and issued a white paper. The then Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Sonny Echono, said in the Tribune Online of September 23, 2021 that: “The usual practice is that when government receives a report of a visitation panel, it is to set up a white paper committee, which will make its recommendations, and the government would come out and say either ‘we accept this recommendation,’ or ‘we reject this recommendation’ and modify this to that and so on. If the same Ministry of Education approved the recommendations of the Committees of the Council and Federal Ministry of Education, why has the Minister of Education not considered the report of the Special Visitation Panel on FCE(T), Akoka, that rounded up its assignment as at 4th September, 2025? It is in the interest of justice, transparent administration, accountability, and the promotion of good governance within public institutions that the Minister should do the needful and release the white paper on the recommendations submitted to his Ministry. As responsible media commentators, we will not allow this matter to be swept under the carpet. “Thereafter, the white paper is published. Once a white paper is published, that depicts closure. The next stage is implementation and we have implemented the white paper on the special presidential visitation panel. The governing council was dissolved, the Vice Chancellor was reinstated, and we have even gone ahead subsequently to appoint and inaugurate a new Governing Council led by Senator Lanre Tejuosho and they are doing a great job”. It is pertinent to probe why the Minister of Education is playing a waiting game this time around, despite the availability of the Report of the Panel he set up. He needs to brief the public on why there has been a delay, and if there are other interests that the Minister is answering to beyond what he can tell Nigerians. This is a public office and whoever is found guilty of maladministration, mismanagement, misbehaviour, gross misconduct should not be spared. The Minister needs to be reminded that the processes must be concluded without keeping the public in suspense. Can we also remind the Minister that the Governing Council of Federal College of Education (Technical) Gombe tried some officers of the College who were alleged to have been involved in gross misconduct? According to a press statement issued to journalists by the Director, Public Relations and Protocols of the College, Dahiru Gurama, “The decision was taken at the 7th meeting of the Governing Council held on 31st January, 2026, at the headquarters of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Abuja”, the statement stated. According to the Council, the dismissals followed the earlier suspension of the affected officials, based on the findings and recommendations of a fact-finding committee set up by the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Governing Council’s Investigative Committee, which indicted the officers on various counts of gross misconduct. If the same Ministry of Education approved the recommendations of the Committees of the Council and Federal Ministry of Education, why has the Minister of Education not considered the report of the Special Visitation Panel on FCE(T), Akoka, that rounded up its assignment as at 4th September, 2025? It is in the interest of justice, transparent administration, accountability, and the promotion of good governance within public institutions that the Minister should do the needful and release the white paper on the recommendations submitted to his Ministry. As responsible media commentators, we will not allow this matter to be swept under the carpet. This matter must be concluded, just like the investigative cases at the University of Lagos in 2020/2021; the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State in 2025; Federal College of Education (Technical) Gombe in 2025/2026 were concluded. As Nigerians and public officers, we are under the guidance of the constitution and scrutiny of the public, and we are not allowed under the law of the country to implement our wishful thinking or wishes. It is not acceptable under any guise. In its editorial opinion of 13 August, 2024 titled “The Violence at Federal College of Education, Akoka”, The Guardian newspaper says “Besides, Colleges of Education are part of institutions expected to produce graduates who are worthy in character and learning. What character was being inculcated in students who were manipulated to join a protest against the provost in a matter on which they ought to have maintained neutrality? Against their matriculation oath, they participated in the destruction of personal and official properties on campus. It is very disappointing.” The right to protest is not a license for perpetrating criminal acts. Unfortunately, it is becoming rampant in the country. During the EndSARS protests in 2020, lives were lost, properties destroyed and shops looted in what ought to have been peaceful rallies against police brutality. It is the same narrative in the protest against hardship in the country, with reports of violence in many states. It should be stopped. The Guardian says further that, “Government should be encouraged to resolve the crisis in the College, and the task should be completed as soon as possible for academic activities to resume. There should be consequences for any established act of criminality during the protest to serve as a deterrent.” The newspaper concluded that, “Generally, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other relevant agencies and institutions should campaign against the unwholesome association of protest with violence in the country, particularly from students in institutions of higher learning who ought to know better. It is not good for the image of the country and Nigerians as a people.” We are aware that the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) wrote several letters to the Ministry of Education and in its last correspondence to the Minister, received in his office on the 26th, November 2025, it says, “Your Honourable self, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa subsequently raised and inaugurated a Special Visitation Panel on July 29, 2025. The panel, chaired by the former Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, SAN, plus other Nine (9) members was mandated to examine all issues plaguing the institution and recommend solutions. This action was taken in response to a prolonged period of instability and protests involving staff, which included concerns about the provost’s tenure and other administrative issues”. It is in the interest of justice, fairness and posterity that this matter is resolved before the end of the tenure of the Provost and the Minister himself. The current Minister of Education should release the white paper on the outcome of the College crisis, just like his predecessor, Mallam Adamu Adamu did in the case of the crisis between the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Toyin Ogundipe and former Pro-Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin. The Nigerian public needs to know who is wrong or right in any disagreement, irrespective of whose ox is gored. If the ‘minority’ or ‘majority’ is wrong, it should be well spelt out for posterity. The letter adds that, “The panel was specifically tasked to conduct a comprehensive investigation and recommend to your office. It was given four weeks to submit its findings. The panel’s formation follows a period of significant staff protest and unrest, including accusations against the provost and violence on campus, leading to the indefinite closure of the institution. The panel had produced a report over two and half months ago, but our organisations were reliably informed that the panel had made efforts to submit its report of national assignment you gave it as the Visitor to the College.” The letter further states that “our organisations are surprised that after the inauguration and completion of the tasks by the Special Visitation Panel on College Crisis, the Report of the Panel has not been submitted to your office talk less of writing a White Paper and making the Report public as required under the law. We strongly believe that justice delayed is justice denied. While we were aware that the then Chairman of the Council asked the Provost to ‘Step aside’ from office with effect from 31st of July, 2024 even though there is no provision in the new “Federal Colleges of Education Act that contained such clause as ‘step aside.’“ The letter concludes that “It is against the above reasons that we ask the Honourable Minister of Education to make public the Report of the Special Visitation Panel set up to conduct a Holistic Investigation into the Causes, Nature and Consequences of the Institutional Crisis at the Federal College of Education Technical, Akoka, Lagos. Finally, our organisations appreciate you as we await your swift actions in support of integrity, justice, fairness and public trust.” Our investigation also revealed that the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Lagos Axis wrote a letter to the Minister of Education. The letter was received on 2nd December, 2025. The letter titled, “Request for Immediate Intervention to resolve the prolonged leadership crisis at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos State, Nigeria” appealed to the Minister to expedite action that, “This crisis has persisted despite three different investigative and visitation panels, the most recent being the Special Visitation Panel that you raised and inaugurated on 29th July 2025. Sadly, more than three months have passed since this last panel completed its assignment without any report released or implemented.” The NANS letter therefore asked the Minister to: “1. Expedite the release and implementation of the Special Visitation Panel Report. 2. Take decisive action to permanently resolve the prolonged leadership crisis. 3. Prevent the looming leadership vacuum that will occur after 13th December 2025. 4. Restore proper governance, accountability, and coordination at the College. 5. Protect students from further insecurity, academic decline, exploitations, and infrastructural deterioration.” The students’ union body concluded that, “The worsening conditions in the College demand immediate and strategic intervention from your office. We also wish to inform your office that NANS JCC Lagos will soon be organising a World Press Conference on the State of Campuses in Lagos State, with a major focus on FCE(T) Akoka due to its alarming administrative instability. We sincerely hope that decisive actions would have been taken before the event, to avert further public concern. Your Excellency, we trust in your dedication to fairness, transparency, and sustainable educational development. We believe that your timely intervention will restore order, protect our students, and safeguard the future of the College”. In concluding this piece, the media will not allow this matter to be swept under the carpet. This matter must be concluded for history and posterity. The matter needs to be concluded to clear the air on the personalities murdered during the protests. It is important to finalise this matter to safeguard the political future of the Minister himself; the former Governing Chairman, Dr Adenuga Olatunde; the Provost who was asked to ‘step aside’; and the staff agitators, some of whom are serving in the Eighth Governing Council of the College. I believe the Minister, who is a public office holder should not be afraid of any group of staff or individuals, no matter the threat. Justice does not look at anyone’s body language before it is delivered; it supports due process, fairness and frowns at those who have resorted to self-help in order to press in their grievances. The Minister of Education must be able to answer the following questions in order for justice to be done: Does the Federal College of Education (Technical) deserve a substantive Provost? Did the Provost who was asked to ‘step aside’ misrule, mismanage funds, or run down the College while serving as the substantive Provost? Did he execute the government projects, as expected? Did he violate the government rules or disobey the Governing Council that warranted his being perpetually placed on a ‘step aside’. For how long will it take Minister of Education to perform his role as the Visitor and release the report of the visitation panel to the Governing Council to implement? Is the delay in releasing the report of the panel out of fear on the part of the Minister? What would happen to the officers or staff and students who would have been indicted by the Special Visitation Panel? What will happen to the Students Unions leaders who instigated the destruction of the College’s property and vehicles? If the Minister could be bold to resolve the prolonged ASUU crisis and sign an agreement that has brought peace to our university system, why is he delaying in releasing the long concluded assignment given to the Special Visitation Panel on Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka, Lagos. It is in the interest of justice, fairness and posterity that this matter is resolved before the end of the tenure of the Provost and the Minister himself. The current Minister of Education should release the white paper on the outcome of the College crisis, just like his predecessor, Mallam Adamu Adamu did in the case of the crisis between the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Toyin Ogundipe and former Pro-Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin. The Nigerian public needs to know who is wrong or right in any disagreement, irrespective of whose ox is gored. If the ‘minority’ or ‘majority’ is wrong, it should be well spelt out for posterity. In conclusion, justice is the ethical and procedural principle of treating individuals impartially, fairly, and reasonably, ensuring everyone receives their due, including rights, protection, or punishment, according to established legal standards. It involves the application of the rule of law to resolve disputes, redress wrongs, and maintain societal order through fair procedures (due process). A woman who was raped will seek justice immediately. The court must defend the dignity of the raped woman, irrespective of the standing of the rapists. The judge should not succumb to threat of the rapists that if they are punished, they would repeat it again. Of course, the rape victim should be protected under the law and get justice to protect her dignity for the rest of her life. The law should not allow the rapists to go scot-free because of the empty threat by the rapists to repeat the crime. The law should protect the victim and make it impossible for the rapists to repeat such a heinous crime in the future. A system that allows or placates crime committers to roam about the street while the victim is left unprotected will later know how important the justice system is. A stitch in time saves nine. The time to uphold justice is now. Naseer Kura was the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) between 1992 and 1993, and is now the executive director of Basic Rights Action (BRA). Share this: Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Click to print (Opens in new window) Print