The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has sacked the Acting Bursar of Sa’adu Zungur State University (SAZU), Ayuba Mohammed Gital, over what he described as financial irregularities and lack of accountability in the institution’s finances.
Speaking in Bauchi on Tuesday while receiving the report of a visitation panel set up to investigate the affairs of the university, Governor Mohammed accused the university management of failing to account for the large sums of money the institution has generated since its establishment in 2012.
“The huge resources that the University was generating over the years are not accounted for, because the financial compendium for funding the institution was not complied with,” the Governor said.
He criticized the management for operating as if the university belonged to them alone, reminding them that the institution is owned by the more than eight million people of Bauchi State.
Although he acknowledged that both state and local government councils share some blame for not adhering to agreed funding arrangements, the Governor said the university’s internal revenue generation and financial decisions lacked transparency.
He announced the immediate removal of the Acting Bursar and said a state audit committee would be set up to look into how funds from students and other internal sources have been managed.
“As part of immediate actions, the government has relieved the varsity’s Acting Bursar, Ayuba Mohammed Gital of his appointment over alleged irregularities surrounding his engagement,” he declared.
The Governor said the investigation followed recent disputes involving academic staff at the university’s Gadau campus and that it became necessary to step in due to ongoing complaints.
“Although we previously refrained from interfering in the financial operations of the university, it has now become essential to take decisive steps to ensure transparency and accountability,” he said.
Chairperson of the panel, Professor Gambo Laraba Abdullahi, while presenting the report, said the panel visited all three campuses—Gadau, Misau, and Bauchi—and collected 47 memoranda from various stakeholders, including university staff, students, and members of the public.
She said the panel examined complaints by the university’s Academic Staff Union (ASUU), which included issues around lack of an exit policy, poor funding, and administrative shortcomings.
“We implore ASUU (SAZUG Chapter) and other stakeholders to exercise patience and give Your Excellency time to look into the report as the problems inherited spanning 12 years since establishment of the University cannot be solved at once,” Prof. Gambo stated.
She also acknowledged the N400 million given to the university by the state government in January 2025, a significant increase from the previous N80 million.
The panel, according to her, made recommendations for improving the university’s revenue generation without overburdening students and advised a review of its multi-campus structure due to its financial and administrative challenges.
“We have equally studied the Multi-Campus structure of the University, its political and academic implications and various disadvantages and made recommendations for your able consideration,” she told the Governor.
