Section 17: Removal and discipline of academic, administrative and technical staff
(1) If it appears to the Council that there are reasons for believing that any person employed as a member of the academic, administrative or technical staff of the University, other than the Vice-Chancellor, should be removed from his office or employment on the ground of misconduct or of inability to perform the functions of his office or employment, the Council shall-
(a) give notice of those reasons to the person in question;
(b) afford him an opportunity of making representation in person on the matter to the Council; and
(c) if he or any three members of the Council so request within the period of one month beginning with the date of the notice, make arrangements-
(i) for a joint committee of the Council and the Senate to investigate the matter and report on it to the Council; or
(ii) for a committee of the senate to investigate the matter, where it relates to any member of the staff of the University and to report on it to the Senate and to the Council; and
(iii) for the person in question to be afforded an opportunity of appearing before and being heard by the investigating committee with respect to the matter.
(2) If the Council, after considering the report of the investigating committee, is satisfied that the person in question should be removed as specified in subsection (1) of this section, the Council may so remove him by an instrument in writing signed on the directions of the Council.
(3) The Vice-Chancellor may, in case of misconduct by a member of staff which in the opinion of the Vice-Chancellor is prejudicial to the interests of the University, suspend such member and any such suspension shall forthwith be reported to the Council.
(4)
For good cause, any member of staff may be suspended from his duties or his appointment may be terminated by the Council; and for the purposes of this subsection ''good cause" means-
(a) conviction for any offence which the Council considers to be such as to render the person concerned unfit for the discharge of the functions of his office; or
(b) any physical or mental incapacity which the Council, after obtaining medical advice, considers to be such as to render the person concerned unfit to continue to hold his office; or
(c) conduct of a scandalous or other disgraceful nature which the Council considers to be such as to render the person concerned unfit to continue to hold his office; or
(d) conduct which the Council considers to be such as to constitute failure or inability of the person concerned to discharge the functions of his office or to comply with terms and conditions of his service.
(5) Any person suspended pursuant to subsection (2) or (3) of this section shall be on half pay and the Council shall, before the expiration of a period of three months after the date of such suspension, consider the case against that person and come to a decision as to-
(a)
whether to continue such person's suspension and if so on what terms (including the proportion of his emoluments to be paid to him); or
(b) whether to re-instate such person in which case the Council shall restore his full emoluments with effect from the date of suspension; or
(c) whether to terminate the appointment of the person concerned in which case such person shall not be entitled to the proportion of his emoluments withheld during the period of suspension; or
(d) whether to take such lesser disciplinary action against such person (including the restoration of such proportion of his emoluments as might have been withheld) as the Council may determine.
(6) In any case where the Council, pursuant to subsection (5) of this section, decides to continue a person's suspension or decides to take further disciplinary action against a person, the Council shall before the expiration of a period of three months from such decision come to a final determination in respect of the case concerning any such person.
(7) It shall be the duty of the person by whom an instrument of removal is signed in pursuance of subsection (2) of this section to use his best endeavovr to cause a copy of the instrument to be served as soon as reasonably practicable on the person to whom it relates.
(8) Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this section shall prevent the Council from making regulations for the discipline of other categories of staff and workers of the University as may be prescribed.
Cite this section
Section 17, NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY ACT (1992).
https://repo.podus.ai/laws/nnamdi-azikiwe-university-act/section/17/