The Parliamentary Committee on Technical and Higher Education has revealed that 20 of the 21 University Court members present at its hearing did not support the unilateral suspension of Milton Margai Technical University Vice Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Philip Kanu.
The hearing, held on Friday, 19 June 2026, was convened to mediate the dispute over Prof. Kanu’s suspension, which was initiated by the Chancellor and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education.
In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Hon. Joseph Williams Lamin recalled that the issue first came to Parliament’s attention in December 2025 during a recruitment process. The Rt. Hon. Speaker had asked him to intervene.
“Since then, the matter took a U-turn and has attracted debate on social media,” Hon. Lamin said. “It escalated from recruitment to several other issues.”
He explained that the Committee had appealed for time to resolve the matter in line with the University Act. Instead, committees were set up, and the University wrote letters asking the Vice Chancellor and Principal to to resign.
Hon. Lamin urged public officials to be mindful of how they treat others while in office and to leave a legacy they can be proud of after retirement.
Chief Education Officer Dr. Josephous Brima said the dispute at MMTU stemmed from the recruitment process. The Minister requested documentation, but MMTU did not submit it.
He noted procedural concerns: “Even the letter calling for the dismissal of the VC&P should have been channeled through the Permanent Secretary, not sent directly to the Minister.”
Dr. Brima said the Chancellor called a Court meeting on 6 January 2026, which the Minister attended. After the meeting, the Court constituted a committee to review the Minister’s concerns. “Several Court meetings have been held to resolve the matter, but without success,” he said.
Zainab Saffa, Minister of Education in the MMTU Students’ Union Government, thanked the Committee for its mediation. “Students have been aggrieved, but with this intervention, we are very happy to welcome our VC&P back on campus,” she said.
Ishmail Bashiru Kebby, President of the Academic Staff Association, also commended Parliament’s “peaceful intervention.” He said the Association had shown “great magnanimity” throughout the dispute.
“Despite all the consultations, no one had formally engaged the Academic Staff Association,” he noted. “I will report back to our members on the progress made by the Committee. We are optimistic about receiving our VC&P on campus.
The Committee concluded by assuring all parties that “the long-awaited process of unity will be achieved soon” and that “joy is coming for MMTU.”
Chairman Lamin proposed a “family meeting” as the final stage of mediation and pledged that the Committee would engage both the Minister and the Chancellor. The meeting has been scheduled for Monday, 6 July 2026, to finalize the peace process.
He appealed to all affected stakeholders, students, and staff to exercise patience until then. “Let us work together to end these issues,” he said.