ASUP wants 7 poly rectors sacked, says appointments illegal

The Federal Government has been urged by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to immediately remove seven university professors who have been appointed as rectors of Federal Polytechnics since their appointment is unauthorized.

Additionally, it forbade university academics from submitting applications for the job of polytechnic rector, claiming that doing so violated the terms of the 2019 Polytechnics Amendment Act.

The union further said that covetousness and greed were what primarily motivated university teachers to join a system they had not helped to create.

In an interview with Vanguard, Dr. Anderson Ezeibe, National President of ASUP, stated that the union will not give up on guaranteeing strict adherence to the law’s requirements.

The rule prohibits anyone from being named rector of a polytechnic if they have not worked as a main lecturer in one for at least five years.

President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Act into law in 2019, Ezeibe said in a statement. We are pleased that some states, including Nasarawa and Jigawa, have already domesticated the law even though it only applies to federal polytechnics.

“University academics who are fighting to become polytechnic rectors are not doing the system any favors.

“They just care about getting rich from the polytechnics they wish to run. How many of them continue on after being named rectors to work as chief lecturers in the polytechnics?

Someone who is unable to advance in their profession at their current university would come to the polytechnic to obstruct others’ career trajectories. We advise the government to seek counsel and knowledgeable contributions from individuals who are knowledgeable.

To maintain uniformity in the way polytechnics were operated in the nation, according to Ezeibe, it was crucial for state governments to domesticate the law as well.

In a letter sent to Adamu Adamu, the minister of education, last month, ASUP informed him of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria’s, or NICN, Abuja, ruling on the federal government’s selection of professors to serve as rectors of various federal polytechnics.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN, Abuja’s ruling over the federal government’s appointment of professors as rectors of various federal polytechnics was communicated to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, in a letter from ASUP last month.

Dr. Terlumun Utser, Prof. Edwin Onyeneje, Prof. Edward Okey, Prof. Zakari Ya’u, Dr. Zakari Ya’u of the Federal Polytechnic, Shendam, and Prof. Garba Ngala of the Federal Polytechnic, Mungonu were not appointed in accordance with the law, according to the judge, Justice Obaseki Osaghae.

Regarding the situation, Ezeibe stated: “Among other statements of the court, judgment has been issued in the suit in agreement with our union’s contention that the persons so appointed do not have the necessary qualifications captured in the law to be so appointed.

“Our union believes that the Nigerian polytechnic system will greatly benefit from this verdict.

In light of the aforementioned and in relation to an earlier consent judgment rendered in another lawsuit, NICN/ABJ/12/2020 (Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics v. Attorney General of the Federation and 6 Ors), the Federal Ministry of Education committed to ensuring that industry participants abide by the Federal Polytechnics Act’s provisions.

Ezeibe stated that in addition to the five individuals, rectors were chosen for two other federal polytechnics in the states of Kano and Delta in violation of the Federal Polytechnics Act. (2019 Amendment).

He recommended the administration to follow the court’s ruling and the law’s requirements and to begin the process of appointing new people as rectors of the schools.

“The government is not permitted to violate legislation that it has initiated or that have been properly passed by the legislature.

“If that is the case, there is no justification for the MPs to approve any legislation. It’s like the nation is squandering its money on them,” he remarked.