The Nigerian Navy said its attention has been drawn to a misleading news publication of 28th June 2023 titled “Absurdities in Admiralty University”.
According to a press release signed by Navy spokesperson, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, he said ordinarily, it would have been ignored since it is the handiwork of mischief makers whose craving for position appears to have made them lose every good sense and decency.
The statement read, “However, being conscious of the Nigerian Navy’s responsibilities to the Federal Government, the stakeholders of the University, and the general public, it is imperative to set the records straight as follows:
“The Admiralty University of Nigeria (ADUN) was established in 2017 as a Public Private Partnership between the Nigerian Navy (represented by Navy Holdings Limited (NHL)) and Hellenic Education Nigeria Limited (HENL). It was granted a provisional license as a private university by the National Universities Commission (NUC) on December 19, 2017, and commenced academic activities in January 2019.
“Due to irreconcilable differences between the partners, NHL decided to buy out HENL’s interest and convert ADUN into a public university.
“The dissolution of the partnership between NHL and HENL occurred on March 21, 2022, and subsequently, the National Assembly passed a bill to convert the university to a conventional public university. The bill was assented to by former President Muhammadu Buhari on February 8, 2023, as the Admiralty University of Nigeria, Ibusa (Establishment) Act 2022.
“The process of converting a university from private to public involves several key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). In pursuit of this process, NHL has engaged with the Federal Ministries of Education and Defence, as well as the NUC, in multiple high-level discussions.
“However, it is important to note that the Federal Ministry of Education is yet to formally include the university and the NUC has not changed its status to that of a federal public university. To bridge this transitional period, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) established the Transitional Governing Council (TGC) to govern the university until the Act comes into force.
“The Nigerian Navy, through NHL, continues to provide resources to ADUN, ensuring its stability and development under the guidance of the Transitional Governing Council. As the incumbent Vice Chancellor’s tenure was set to expire on June 30, 2023, he applied for a renewal of his appointment. Although the TGC declined the renewal request in light of the transition, they granted a six-month extension to prevent a leadership vacuum while intensifying efforts to effect the university’s change of status.
“ADUN has proven itself to be a law-abiding institution and a centre of educational excellence. Despite the ongoing crisis in the university system, it celebrated its first convocation in November 2022 after four years of studentship by the pioneer undergraduates.
“The university is currently undergoing a delicate transition overseen by the Nigerian Navy through NHL, similar to the transitions of other military tertiary institutions such as the Nigerian Defence Academy, Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna, and Nigerian Army University, Biu.
“The call made by the writer of the report for the intervention of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) to arbitrarily appoint key university positions goes against the provisions of the ADUN Law 2022. Instead, what the university requires at this stage is the speedy completion of the takeover process by the Federal Ministry of Education, the change of status by the NUC, and the constitution of its Governing Council in accordance with the ADUN Establishment Act 2022.
“The Admiralty University of Nigeria remains fully committed to providing quality education and contributing to the development of Nigeria’s Maritime Sector.
“The university will not be deterred by baseless allegations and will continue working towards its vision of becoming a world-class institution of higher learning, educating future leaders.
“The Nigerian Navy urges the public to disregard the misleading report and assures stakeholders that it will uphold its responsibilities to ensure the success of the Admiralty University of Nigeria
