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Sack of varsities’ council chairmen illegal, says ASUU

By Anietie Akpan, Calabar and Iyabo Lawal, Ibadan
14 May 2015   |   2:39 am
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan (UI) branch Tuesday described the sack of university council chairmen in Nigerian public universities by the Federal Government as illegal and a flagrant abuse of the autonomy of universities.
Greensprings

Chief Responsibility Coordinator, RACO Child School and Orphanage, Lagos, Mr. Olorunwa Dan Nwaka (left), Director of Education, Greensprings School, Lagos, Mr. Harry McFaul and Executive Director, Greensprings School, Mrs. Lai Koiki, during the official commissioning of a block of three classrooms, four toilets, borehole and sewage system donated to Raco Child School and Orphanage

Crisis rocks IPPA UNICAL

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan (UI) branch Tuesday described the sack of university council chairmen in Nigerian public universities by the Federal Government as illegal and a flagrant abuse of the autonomy of universities.

The body has, therefore called on the Federal Government to rescind its decision and recall the Chairman of Council, General Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd).

Chairman of the UI branch of the union, Professor Segun Ajiboye, said the sack of chairmen of governing councils was done in bad faith, and against the hallowed tradition and sanctity of the principle of university autonomy/academic freedom, and agreement reached with the Union to respect same.

“The Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 1993 as amended by the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, 2007, Act No 1 Section 2A clearly spells out the tenure of council thus: “The council so constituted shall have a tenure of four years from the date of its inauguration, provided that where a council is found to be incompetent and corrupt, it shall be dissolved by the Visitor and a new council shall be immediately constituted for the effective functioning of the university.

” Ajiboye declared that the council chairmanship as well as the entire council are a creation of statute and, to that extent, cannot be tampered with except in the event of a proven case of maladministration, physical impairment or recorded case of loss of life.

The only condition upon which the chairman could be removed according to Ajiboye, was incompetence and corruption, which had not been alleged nor established in this case.

And even in such cases, there are procedures and channels to follow. ASUU said it will continue to fight for the repositioning of Nigeria public universities, and ensure that no gains of its previous struggles were undermined by any government.

Meanwhile, crisis is currently brewing in the institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA), University of Calabar (UNICAL) over alleged oppression and intimidation of students by the director of the institute, Dr. Felix Akpan.

The aggrieved students who are studying for a diplomas in public administration, personnel management, local government administration, among others have been at loggerheads with the Director of the institute over issues bothering on results.

They alleged that records of some students who had paid their school fees before and after examinations were not delivered early to the institute, hence the withholding of results of affected students by the director.

A 200-level Diploma in Public Administration student, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “We paid our school fees and our results were not computed even when we showed receipts as evidence of payment.

“On account of not seeing our results, the director will force us to write re-sit examinations and complaints to several quarters have not yielded positive response.

The result of the 2011 set is yet to be approved. “There have been so much delay in the release of examination results and this is because of the insensitivity and lukewarm attitude of the director towards the affairs of the institute,” she alleged.

Dr. Akpan in response to the allegations said, “I took over the institute in October last year and whoever is telling you that trash is telling you nonsense.

“Since I took over I have been trying to clean up the mess in that place and this is the first time the students are seeing their results being published.

I am trying to get all the lecturers to publish results. . “Diploma programmes are supposed to be two-year programmes and we just finished the second semester examination last month and now the students who failed are to re-sit for the examination so that we can integrate them with results of this semester.

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