Professor Daniel Iyorkegh Saror, former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has recalled the intense opposition he faced during his tenure from 1991 to 1995. He said the crisis escalated into petitions, demonstrations, and a bizarre incident involving a snake being brought to his office. Saror shared his experience on Trust TV's Reminiscences programme. He revealed that he first became aware of a petition written against him by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) while returning from Gboko, where he had attended a chieftaincy ceremony with his family.
Saror said he was dumbfounded when he heard about the petition on the radio while on his way back to Zaria on December 31, 1994. He subsequently went to the Kaduna office of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to respond to the allegations. However, the controversy did not end there, as demonstrations followed and the university's Senate Building was reportedly locked during the crisis. The hostility was partly connected to disagreements over the management of the university following the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), which affected the university system.
According to Saror, some members of ASUU wanted greater involvement in the management of universities, a position he resisted as vice chancellor. He said the opposition became so intense that he eventually heard that a snake had been brought into his office as part of efforts to frighten him into resigning. Saror confirmed that the snake issue was real and that a local snake charmer from Shika, identified as Haruna, was brought into the matter.
Saror said he refused to resign, insisting that only the military government had the authority to remove him from office. He told the people behind the move that only Abacha, as the head of state and visitor to the university, could remove him. The crisis attracted the intervention of the military government, with then Head of State, General Sani Abacha, setting up a commission of inquiry headed by Major-General Mamman Kontagora to investigate the unrest.
Saror was surprised that the commission submitted its report shortly before the end of his tenure and recommended that he be removed, even though he had already informed the university council that he would not seek a second term. He was eventually allowed to complete his tenure and handed over to Kontagora, who was subsequently appointed sole administrator of the university.
ABU's official history lists Saror as the university's seventh vice chancellor, serving from 1991 to 1995, before Kontagora took over as sole administrator from 1995. Despite the controversy, Saror said his relationship with the university was not permanently severed. He noted that he later sold his agricultural farm in Zaria to ABU and was also honoured by the university's alumni association years after leaving office.
Saror said the experience influenced his decision not to seek another term, as the hostility had become intense enough for him to worry about the safety of himself and his family. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by university administrators in Nigeria.
Key points
- Former ABU Vice Chancellor recounts how ASUU brought a snake to his office in an attempt to force him out.
- The crisis was partly connected to disagreements over the management of the university following the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).
- Saror refused to resign, insisting that only the military government had the authority to remove him from office.
