IN a quiet but significant reshuffle of federal university leadership, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the removal of Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), replacing him with retired senior military officer Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Sadiq Ismaila Kaita.
According to a press release issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy made available to News Point Nigeria on Friday, the change is intended to allow Dr. Gawuna to focus fully on his duties as Chairman of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), a key national housing agency under the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
“The President made the change to enable Dr. Gawuna to concentrate on his position at the FHA,” the statement read.
The newly appointed BUK Council Chairman, AVM Saddiq Kaita (Rtd.), brings a distinguished military background to his new academic governance role.
Before his retirement from the Nigerian Air Force, he served as Director of Strategy at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and later as Chief of Defence Transformation and Innovation, two critical roles that positioned him at the forefront of strategic reform and innovation in Nigeria’s military architecture.
Well regarded for his contributions to training, strategic development, and organisational standardisation within the Air Force, AVM Kaita is expected to bring a disciplined, reform-oriented leadership style to BUK’s governing council at a time when Nigerian universities are facing mounting pressures over infrastructure, funding, and global competitiveness.
Bayero University, one of the largest and most influential tertiary institutions in Northern Nigeria, has increasingly been a hub for research, policy dialogue, and capacity building in the region.
With AVM Kaita now at the helm of BUK’s governing council, stakeholders in Kano and the wider academic community will be watching closely to see what reforms, policy shifts, or funding innovations could emerge under his stewardship.
Dr. Nasiru Gawuna, who was appointed as FHA Chairman earlier in Tinubu’s presidency, had been holding dual roles as both BUK Council Chairman and Head of the FHA, raising questions about possible conflict of focus and administrative efficiency.
A former Kano State Deputy Governor and one-time gubernatorial candidate under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gawuna is considered a seasoned public administrator.
However, with the FHA undergoing reforms to meet Nigeria’s escalating housing needs, the presidency appears to have made the call to streamline his responsibilities.
AVM Kaita’s appointment follows similar selections of technocrats, retired public servants, and military professionals into university boards and councils, suggesting a growing preference for results-driven leadership in Nigeria’s embattled higher education sector.
While no specific mandate was issued in the statement, AVM Kaita is expected to oversee BUK’s policy direction, strategic development goals, and institutional reforms in collaboration with the university’s management, academic staff union, and external partners.
A senior lecturer at BUK who spoke anonymously to News Point Nigeria said: “We hope the new Chairman will bring a new sense of discipline, reform-mindedness, and vision to the Council. BUK has done a lot in recent years, but we need stronger leadership at the top to compete globally.”
Meanwhile, supporters of Gawuna say the move confirms his growing relevance in national politics, with FHA being a more critical driver of President Tinubu’s infrastructure policy than university board leadership.