In the twilight of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, four colleges of education were upgraded to university of education. But, rumour has it that President Muhammadu Buhari has allegedly ordered the suspension of the new status of the institutions; a development that is generating tension between workers and their managements. Our reporters LEKE AKEREDOLU (Akure) KOLADE ADEYEMI (Kano) OKODILI NDIDI (Owerri) and ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWEW (Kaduna) report.
•Workers accuse provosts, elements in government of sabotage
•Four provosts cannot be greater than the people, says managment
•Govt urged to conduct national debate before verdict
Last May, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan took some last-minute decisions, among which was the upgrading of four colleges of education to university status.
The institutions are: Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo (now Adeyemi University of Education, Ondo); Federal College of Education, Zaria (now Federal University of Education, Zaria); Federal College of Education, Kano (now Federal University of Education, Kano); and Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri (now Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri).
However, reports in some social mediums had it that the Federal Government, last week suspended the new status of the institutions, fuelling fresh protests and stiff resistance by workers. Many of them are pointing accusing fingers at provosts of the institutions, saying they connived with certain elements in the government to bring about the reversal.
Genesis
The new government of President Muhammadu Buhari had hardly settled down for business when reactions from various quarters on whether to retain the new status of the institutions or revert them to their old status began to pour in. Those opposed to their new status felt the upgrade was politically motivated, and that the four institutions were better off as colleges of education. Some also wondered why the sudden move in less than two months to Jonathan’s exit from office. Others, particularly workers, who were favourably disposed to the university idea, held the view that aside being the oldest colleges of education nationwide, the institutions have the infrastructure and faculty staff to transform to universities.
In addition, some of them, prior to their upgrade, were running degree programmes and Post-Graduate Diplomas (PGD) in affiliation with some universities. To the host communities of the institutions, who had long craved for the new status, it was a welcome development and they were a lot happier.
Protest rocks Adeyemi University of Education, Ondo
But there were mixed feelings about the new status. While some members of staff were happy with the host communities, others were not. And those not favourably disposed to the new status allegedly worked against it.
Although their identities are not known and some workers have refused to disclose those allegedly behind the move, investigations revealed that some lecturers, who had spent many years in the system, worked with some prominent people in the society to reverse the schools’ status.
It was further learnt that the alleged sponsors have refused to improve themselves, especially in attaining their Ph.D degrees, and were afraid the new status of their institutions might either choke them, or make them inferior.
The Nation reporters gathered that the ‘anti-university’ promoters secretly formed a group in the four affected colleges of education, using the platform to push their demands.
The group was alleged to have been in touch with some highly connected people in government to get their message to the Presidency.
Their agitation was anchored on the fact that majority of the teachers in the four institutions have no Ph.D degrees, raising the fear that they might be sent back to the labour market that is replete with unemployed.
However, their argument was at variance with that of the non-teaching staff of the institutions.
The non-teaching staff, through their unions – Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), also formed a joint union called ‘Joint Non-Teaching Staff Action Committee’ (JNTSAC) to work against the planned reversal.
The President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Femi Lademikan, was made their chairman at an emergency congress at an occassion which held at the institution’s premises in Ondo State.
Some of the aggrieved workers, who stormed the congress venue, were armed with canes, ostensibly to go straight to the offices of those pushing for the reversal to flog them. Nonetheless, they were prevailed upon by leaders of the unions, who admonished them not to be violent in pressing for their demands.
Addressing the workers at the congress, Lademikan said union leaders had not gone to bed, adding that they had been seeking assistance, particularly from prominent indigenes of the Ondo kingdom.
“Immediately we heard about this (reversal to old status), we rushed to Osemawe of Ondo, Oba Victor Kiladejo, but, unfortunately, the monarch was not in the country. That took us to his second in command; the Lisa of Ondo, Chief, Simeon Oguntimehin.
“He expressed sadness on the issue and immediately called the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, his wife, Dolapo and President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina on the issue.They all said the news was strange to them and that there was no such plan in the Presidency.
“We told him of our plan to stage a protest to the Osemawe’s palace and also the Governor’s Office, but Chief Oguntimehin appealed against the idea, fearing that some unscrupulous elements might hijack the process,” he said.
But the aggrieved workers insisted that, despite Oguntimehin’s appeal, they must march to the gate of their institution on Ondo-Ore-Lagos Expressway.
They displayed placards with various inscriptions, such as “Mr President take away corruption, not our university”; “University status, no going back”; “Forward ever, backward never”.
Their action caused a gridlock on the route for about an hour.
Addressing reporters, Lademikan said: “We want our university to remain, and we are appealing to the government through this peaceful demonstration.
“We are telling President Muhammadu Buhari that we have everything- manpower, people, structures and resources that it will take to maintain the new status of this institution. We are peaceful and cooperative. Mr. President must not listen to people, who don’t love him, sycophants and those enemies of progress.
“There are so many publications in the media that the institution should be returned to college, but because of this forum, we won’t mention names. We know them and we are waiting for them.”
Teachers in the institution, under the umbrella of Lecturers’ Union of Adeyemi University, had quickly aligned with JNTSAC, describing the upgrade to university as a step in the right direction.
A statement signed by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Olaolu Olaniyan, said: “The union notes with utter dismay and outright displeasure, the rumour making the rounds about the purported reversal of the hard-earned university status of Adeyemi Federal University of Education and three other newly upgraded universities of education.
“We want to emphatically express our rejection of such a reversal which is only capable of creating avoidable tension in the new university community and the host community by extension.
“The upgrading of the institution into a full fledged university was premised on several factors, chiefly, the high quality of academic staff, who have worked assiduously over the years to produce an array of trained teachers for the primary and secondary school components. The institution also runs Post-Graduate Diploma in Education programme.
” It is, therefore, in the light of the foregoing that the union rejects in absolute terms any attempt whatsoever to truncate the upgrading of the institution to a full fledged university status. It is an ill wind that blows nobody no good, and capable of precipitating crisis in the immediate university community and the host community.”
Also, the President, Students’ Union Government of Adeyemi Federal University of Education. Isiaka Kamarudeen, lent his voice.
“We have celebrated this and that is how it should be. Nobody should reverse our status. It will look so bad on the side of workers and students of the institution if such negative decision is taken. Government must not take any decision that can cause students’ unrest,” Kamarudeen said.
But a member of the management, who preferred anonymity, expressed shock over the development.
He said “I was surprised that some of our lecturers were fingered in this plot and I don’t know why people will be against good thing? I still remember the efforts of the former ACE Provost, Prof. Idowu Adeyemi, the Osemawe of Ondo and other prominent people in the state in this drive. How come some few people will now be planning to scuttle what a large number of people had laboured for?
“The former Provost gave room for lecturers to develop themselves and through that many of them got their Ph.D, and I don’t know why some people will now complain that we have fewer Ph.D holders?
It’s one week warning strike at the Federal University of Education, Kano
Members of the Academic Staff of the Federal College of Education, Kano, on Monday, shut down the institution paralysing academic activities. The development followed their one week warning strike made known to members last week.
The workers’ aim was to ask the government to clarify issues on the alleged controversial reversal, based on the circular forwarded to the institution.
The aggrieved workers alleged that the Provost, Dr Rabi Jubirila, doctored the memo signed by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia Hindatu Umar Abdullahai, for her selfish interest.
The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of the institution, Dr Abubakar Sadeeq Haruna, accused Jubirila of saying that the said memo directed the institution to revert to the status quo, which, according to him, was contrary to the contents of the memo.
Haruna said government only directed that the institution put everything on hold pending further instructions, and not to immediately revert to the former status.
But, speaking to The Nation, Dr Jubirila confirmed the purported letter.
“The memo received from the Federal Government specifically cited two major issues, saying that by the copy of this memo, you are directed to revert the school to its original status,” she said, quoting a part of the memo.
She continued: “In addition, you are directed to continue to administer the college as Federal College of Education and as the Provost of the college with all right and privilege.”
Nonetheless, Jubrilla denied allegations that provosts of the four affected colleges were the architect of the reversal. “Four provosts cannot be too powerful to influence the Federal Government’s decision,” she protested.
However, Haruna described the reversal as ‘too hasty’, and failed to comply with due process.
He lamented that, despite an earlier memo sent to the government, highlighting the advantages of the upgrade to university, and the negative consequences its reversal may generate, the latter still stuck to its guns.
The union urged the government to toe the line of due process, and subject the planned reversal to a national debate before jumping to conclusion.
Another strike at Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education
On Tuesday, joint academic bodies of Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, comprising the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), the Students’ Union Government (SUG) and National Association of Technologists (NAT) began a one-week warning strike against the plot.
The aggrieved protesters displayed placards with various inscriptions such as: “Welcome to Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri; farewell to Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri’; ‘We want a Vice Chancellor. We reject a Provost’; ‘Forward ever, backward never! We can never go back to Egypt,’, among others.
The ASUU Chairman, Comrade Okachi Wachukwu, who led the protest, said Dr Ijeoma intimated her of the reversal on Friday last week.
Wachukwu said: “Even if we have been told that it was going to be reversed, the status quo should have been maintained while deliberations are on.”
The workers alleged that Dr Ijeoma, whom they said lost out in a bid to clinch the position of the Vice Chancellor, in conjunction with some lecturers, who were relieved of their duties because they lacked the requisite qualifications, were behind the move. However, Dr Ijeoma declined comments.
“I don’t want to say anything on this issue,” she politely told our reporter.
Fed Govt ill-advised, insist workers at the Federal University of Education, Kaduna
In Zaria, the combined unions, which have already metamorphosed into Joint Unions of Federal University of Education (FUE) Zaria, said President Buhari was ill-advised.
The unions, comprising the Academic Staff Union of Universities of Education (ASUUE), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and SSANU, argued that the new role of the institution could not be underestimated.
Speaking on behalf of the three unions in Zaria, ASUUE Chairman, Zaria, Malam Yahuza Salmanu, said: “Mr President, our attention has been drawn to a purported move by the Federal Government to revert the four federal universities of education recently upgraded to university status.
“ASUUE- FUE, Zaria considers the move as retrogressive, ill-advised, counterproductive and totally out of tune with international best practices in teacher education programme.”
Salmanu said ASUUE feared the move would further draw teacher education backward.
“At present, degree holders are being clamoured for to teach right from nursery school. Why then should the government be thinking of reverting universities to institutions that would produce only NCE teachers?
“The four universities of education are not new per se; they have structures, personnel, and have been teaching undergraduates and this should not be derailed,” he pleaded.
Meanwhile our correspondent, who visited the institution last week, observed that a circular containing the Federal Government’s directive to put the conversion on hold littered the institution.
When contacted, Head of Public Relations Unit of the institution, Hajia Rakiya Sidi, said the management did not have any choice other than to comply with Federal Government’s directive.
