The Academic Staff Union of Universities has deemed the appointment of Isa Pantami, Nigeria’s minister of communications, by the Federal University of Technology Owerri as a professor as illegal.

The stance was made known at a press conference by ASUU president Emmanuel Osodeke on Monday following the union’s national executive council meeting.

“You cannot be a minister and a lecturer in a university. It is an encouragement of illegality,” Mr Osodeke said. “Pantami has to quit as a minister and be tried for doing double jobs within the same federal system. He is not qualified. Pantami should not be treated as a professor.”

The declaration by the union came after an independent panel was set up last November to look into Mr Pantami’s professorial appointment.

Peoples Gazette had in September reported that Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara placed commercials in newspapers congratulating Mr Pantami on his promotion to a professor of cybersecurity, resulting in backlash and criticisms from academia.

In documents seen by The Gazette, Mr Pantami said he accepted the role of professor of cybersecurity on the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This decision is sequel to my briefing to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Friday, March 26, 2021, and his permission for me to go ahead and share my knowledge and experience in the academia, which is a form of community service to our citizens,” Mr Pantami said.

Mr Pantami had accepted the position at the Imo-based institution before it had been formally offered to him, based on the reported documents. The Islamic cleric accepted the position in March. However, the appointment letter offering the professorship post to Mr Pantami has August 20 as its date.