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Tag: sack

  • Edo NUJ condemns mass sack in AIT

    Edo NUJ condemns mass sack in AIT

    The Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condemned the sack of 14 members of staff of Daar Communications Plc, owners of African Independent Television Authority and Raypower.

    The workers attached to the Benin centre were reportedly sacked on Monday.

    The management had in a letter dated June 2 and signed by the Senior Manager in charge of Human Resources, Mr. Victor Okasoga, also advised the affected staff to surrender “company properties” in their possession.

    “Failure to surrender company properties in your possession may delay the processing of your entitlements,” it added.

    But the State Chairman of the union, Rowland Osakwe, said that the media outfit erred by sacking its workers without fulfilling its financial obligation.

    Osakwe said, “It is not a good thing that you enslave labour and, at month end, you don’t give them their stipend; you are sacking them and not giving them their cheques.

    “The act is condemnable; it does not even happen in the animal kingdom these days. We are not going to relent. We will write them a letter and ask the management to pay them (affected workers) their money or we will take a legal step.”

    When contacted, the Benin Head of Administration, Daar Communications Plc, Ndah Muhammed, said that the decision to lay off the workers was taken by the management at the head office of the company.

    “Please, get in contact with our Head Office. The sacking was not from Benin here; it was from Head Office,” he added.

    One of the affected workers, who pleaded anonymity, said that the decision of the company came as a surprise, as both staff and management had met over the payment of their outstanding salaries.

    The staff said, “About three weeks ago, the staff of Daar Communications (Plc) met with the management reminding it of its promise to pay us. They said that we should not worry, that the state government was owing them and that when they (government) pays, they will pay us our money. We agreed.

    The worker added, “Last two weeks, they called us in a meeting. After talking, they said that anybody who is sick and tire should quietly resign and go home; nobody uttered.

    “To our greatest surprise, yesterday, we saw about five Hilux vans of mobile police in our premises. They called us to the accounts section to collect our letters. They gave us a form to fill to pay us our money; we have filled the form but money has not been paid to us.”

  • Labour warns against workers’ sack over ‘bloated’ wage bill

    Labour has warned against the sacking of workers under the guise of a bloated wage bill.

    Refering to Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun’s statement that about N165 billion has been spent on payment of civil servants’ salaries, Labour said it was shocked by the excuses being made to justify the failure of some states to pay workers and execute certain projects.

    Speaking with The Nation, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, said they were all a ploy to sack workers.

    He said: “We recall that it was widely reported that the immediate past administration discovered hundreds of thousands of ghost workers within the civil service.

    “The present administration has also told us that they have discovered some and adopted a series of measures to curb such. We are upset that the available information technology platforms and the Biometrics Verification Number (BVN) introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have not helped to iron out these things.”

    The TUC president said labour was happy that the minister faulted the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) introduced by the last administration, adding that the system was sabotaged by elements benefitting from salary fraud.

    “We also welcome her claim that she has created a unit assigned with the sole responsibility of checking the salaries and catching those behind the over-bloated salary,” he said.

    He, however, said Labour would fight to finish any attempt to sack civil servants for errors that are not theirs, adding that it is the height of injustice to sack a worker who earns a stipend just to be able to sustain the payment of millions of naira to politicians.

    “We cannot be made to bear the brunt of what we do not know about just to massage the ego and pockets of a privileged few. Nobody or group should prompt a disruption of the prevailing peaceful industrial atmosphere in the country,” Kaigama said.

    In a related event, TUC has decried the recruitment of Permanent Secretaries from outside the civil service.

    Kaigama, who stated this in Abuja, said: “We wish to state that the recent appointment of Permanent Secretaries from outside the civil service contravened the relevant provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “This is capable of doing collateral damage to the system. The ill-advised policy, if not stopped now, is capable of killing the morale of senior civil servants who have served their fatherland meritoriously for decades. This is because they can no longer aspire to rise to the peak of their career.”

    Kaigama urged the Federal Government to discontinue the practice while those already recruited particularly those above 60 years, should be disengaged.

    He said it was common knowledge that the civil service is the engine room that oils the wheels of government to ensure efficient and effective service delivery to the people.

    Kaigama cited Public Service Rule 020810, which stipulates that retirement age in the civil service shall be 60 years of age or 35 years of pensionable service whichever comes earlier.

    He also called on the Federal Government to quickly settle all outstanding arrears owed civil and public servants.

    According to him, the outstanding include salary arrears, promotion arrears dating back to 2007, first 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation, duty tour allowance, mandatory training allowance for 2010, burial expenses and repatriation allowance, among others.

    “We are worried that the sum provided for the settlement of these arrears under the Service Wide Vote in the 2016 Budget is inadequate and has even been slashed by N28.5 billion by the National Assembly.

    “We, therefore, demand that the federal lawmakers retrace their steps on this issue and approve what was voted for the outstanding benefits of civil servants in the interest of industrial peace and harmony in the country.

    He also called on the Federal Government to prepare a supplementary budget to capture the balance of indebtedness to public servants so that the matter can rested.

  • Unease over mass sack at Ebonyi School

    Unease over mass sack at Ebonyi School

    There are fears that the Ebonyi State College of Education in Ikwo may lose the accreditation of some of its courses, because of the sack of 83 workers, including 30 teachers. The workers and students are seeking a reversal of the decision. But the government says the situation is not that bad. OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE, reports.

    There is unease at the Ebonyi State College of Education, Ikwo following last month’s sack of 83 workers, among them 30 teachers. Many are afraid that the school may lose the accreditation of some courses because of the development.

    But, the Dave Umahi-led administration, which ordered the workers’ sack March 21, because their employment did not follow due process, has allayed such fear.

    A panel constituted by Umahi alleged that the workers were illegally employed between 2011 and 2016. The panel investigated allegations of administrative lapses and corrupt practices against the Provost, Prof Silas Omebe, by the unions in the college.

    The Fidelis Nwankwo-led panel absolved Omebe of the accusations, but queried how the 83 workers were employed.

    “Their employment did not follow due process and laid down procedure including advertisement of the vacancies in the media amongst other steps. It is normal to recruit staff to achieve institutions’ accreditation objectives but the fact remains that they are not permanent staff,” said Nwankwo, who also chairs the college’s governing council.

    On receiving the report, Umahi ordered the workers’ sack before the government reviews the report or visits the institution as the panel recommended.

    The affected workers’ colleagues, students and the unions are not happy with the development.

    Some of the affected workers have petitioned the Governing Council in protest.

    One of them, Ogel Abel, of the Educational Foundation Department, is alleging injustice over his sack.

    “I resumed work after hospitalisation, but I was not paid my salaries. After several oral appeals, I decided to appeal in writing through my head of department (HOD) to the provost on the issue.

    “My HOD minuted on my letter and forwarded same to the provost, who, among other things, demanded for evidence that I had resumed work.

    “But, shockingly, without waiting for the evidence, the management served me a dismissal letter the following day without facing any disciplinary committee”, he said.

    Another worker, John Nnaji, who also petitioned the Council, alleged that he was employed on January 1, 2014 as a driver attached to the provost; but was dismissed three months after without any reason.

    “From the moment I was so deployed, my monthly pay was at the mercy of my boss, the provost, who initially told me that the state government was no longer able to pay the monthly salaries of the college staff and, as such, the staff would not be receiving their full salaries at the end of every month until when government can meet its obligation fully.

    “I accepted the information as the true position. From that moment the provost started giving me N5,000 or N7,000 every month and some months nothing.

    “I was shocked to discover recently that my salary has been running fully since April, 2014 till date without my account being credited for confirmation,” he claimed.

    A sacked teacher, who spoke in confidence, appealed to the government to reconsider his sack, considering the “untold hardship” it has caused him.  He said he did not know his employment was not legal.

    He said:  “I have worked for the school for about four years. I didn’t know that my employment was illegal. If it was illegal why then was the state government paying us salaries?

    “I developed a stroke because of the sack and was hospitalised for a week. I survived only by the grace of God. My family is facing eviction as I have been given a quit notice by my landlord. Even to eat now is a problem not to talk of paying my children’s school fees.”

    The Chairman, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Comrade Greg Esheya,  refused to comment.

    But, a source in the union said it was not the workers’ fault that they were employed illegally, adding that they should not be victimised for what he called management’s “mistake.”

    He said the management should also be punished for its role in the matter.

    The teacher, however, urged the government to initiate a fresh recruitment to fill the vacancies created by the sack.

    “The sacked staff should be given the right of first refusal to apply for the jobs because it wasn’t their fault that their appointments were not regularised. Many of them have families and with the situation of the economy it will not be easy for them if they are dumped into the labour market.

    “These workers have worked for many years, some up to four years. They should be allowed to apply and be properly screened and if they are qualified, should be re-employed while those who are found wanting can be thrown out,” the source said.

    Students are worried about the implication of the sack on the completion of their programmes.

    Some of them told The Nation that more than six departments in the institution risk being shut by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

    A final year student of the department of Primary Education, Ifeoma Obinwa, in tears, said with the sack, the department is now left with five lecturers – three short of the minimum required for a department to exist.

    Obinwa said: “The governor’s directive which led to the sack of the lecturers does not just affect the lecturers, the students and parents who have children in the affected departments are the most hit because when the departments are shut, we have no other option than to either start looking for admission into other tertiary institutions as year one students or we would become dropouts.

    “That’s not all; the money our parents must have spent from our first year to our final year would now be fruitless venture. How many of them would survive the shock of getting to hear that their children who are in their final year turned out to drop out of school for no fault of theirs?”

    Obinwa said the worst hit was the Staff School, where only one teacher was retained.  The staff school serves as a prerequisite for the primary education department of the institution.

    “Even if the department meets up with the required eight lecturers, the primary school which is a prerequisite to establishing the Primary Education department is now left with only one teacher which automatically would be shut down by NCCE,” she said.

    A final year student of Mathematics, Chukwubuike Igwe, appealed to Governor Umahi to consider the plight of the students, their parents and benefactors.

    “We believe our governor is a listening father who is interested in seeing to the success of students in the different institutions in the state and we are optimistic that he would not wish that hundreds of students especially indigenes of Ebonyi state would drop out of school.

    “In mathematics department, after the sack, we were left with just five lecturers while the prerequisite is at least 12 lecturers. There is no doubt that the NCCE would soon clamp down on the institution,” he said.

    Igwe said their dream of graduating before the end of the year may not be realised even if new workers were employed.

    “By the time they conclude the recruitment one or two semesters must have elapsed. The governor should intervene urgently to save our career and future,” he said.

    But, Nwankwo disagreed that the institution may lose its accreditation because of the sack, arguing that it could devise remedial measures to handle the situation.

    “The governor is somebody who is interested in uplifting the standard of education in the state and I am sure he will ensure that replacements are immediately found for the sacked staff,” he said.

    Prof Omebe and the registrar, Mr Samuel Nwarisi, refused to comment.  The Commissioner for Education, Prof John Ekeh, also did not comment, saying he was out of the state on health grounds.

    However, an Ebonyi State Ministry of Education official told our reporter that the ministry is liaising with the government and the college to give the sacked workers a soft landing or re-employ them.

  • Aero sacks 100 employeees

    Aero sacks 100 employeees

    Aero Contractors Friday sacked over 100 workers from its payroll industry sources hinted.

    But, the airline according to statement by its public relations consultants, SY& T said it only reviewed its contract with the out sourcing firm: SBL.
    Most of those affected by the sack, according to a source were support staff who have spent few years with the airline.

    A source close to the airline who didn’t want his name in print confirmed the development.

    The statement from the airline consultants, reads “In the course of reorganizing and repositioning its business, Aero Contractors has reviewed its relationship with Skyborne by cutting down some of the serves required from the company. This will help the company to invest more resources to enhance customer service. For the record Aero has not sacked any of its staff.”

    But, a source said those affected by the development were contract staff whose contract have expired with the company.

    The source added that some departments and workers were outsourced by the management, stressing that since the airline no longer required their services, it was pertinent for them to be relieved of their jobs, insisting that no staff of the airline was affected by the management decision.

    The source insisted that what the organization did was not to sack workers, but reduce workforce especially those whose their services were no longer required by the airline.

    The source said that the reduction in staff cut across all the departments in the company and equally confirmed that over 100 personnel were affected by the decision.

    He said, “Those laid off were not staff of our airline. You know in Aero, some departments and duties are outsourced. Son what the management did was not to renew their contracts once it expired.

    “I can tell you that our staff are intact and we don’t have the plans to retrench workers. We didn’t have the need of those outsourced and we felt they should be withdrawn from our services.”

    A letter to one of the affected workers said that the sack was as a result of the ongoing restructuring in the airline.

    The letter reads in part: “Dear colleague, in the light of the ongoing restructuring at Aero, we regret to inform you that your services are no longer required and employment with SBL terminated with immediate effect.

    “Please, return all company properties to your Manager/Supervisor by 8am on 28/04/2016. We regret any inconvenience caused.”

  • Sack fever grips workers in meter manufacturing firms

    Fear of job loss is rife among local meter manufacturing companies  following their inability to produce at optimal level, The Nation has learnt.

    It was gathered that the firms, which have been sidelined by the power distribution companies (DisCos) in procurement of the locally manufactured meters, are said to have commenced pruning of their workforce.

    It was further gathered that many of the firms have sacked hundreds of workers, due to what they described as the ‘low patronage’  recorded in the history of manufacturing of meters in the country.

    While many of the workers were asked to leave pending when the companies’ production and sales pick up, others were directed by their managements to work part-time.

    The Chief Executive Officer, MOMAS Nigeria Limited, a local meter manufacturing firm, Kola Abalogun, said many of the firms in the  electricity sector are in dire strait, due to problems such as poor funding, low patronage  and the government’s refusal to come to their aid through an effective policy that will induce demand of their products.

    Balogun lamented that the meter manufacturing firms are hard hit because they are  being negleted by the DisCos.

    He said many of the DisCos are not buying meters from the local manufacturers, despite the fact that they produce meters that can compete favorably with the ones imported from abroad.

    He said:  “For MOMAS, we have downsised. We have sacked some of our workers because there is no way we can continue to pay their salaries when a lot of meters are stocked in the store waiting endlessly for buyers.

    “We have told them that many of the workers would be recalled or more employed in the event that activity picks up again in the sub-sector. This is the situation on ground. I cannot speak for other manufacturers. But I believe that we are all having one challenge or the other. The major one is that many of the DisCos are not buying meters from us.”

    He said only one DisCo, or two buy meters from MOMAS, saying the issue of power supply remains a challenge as the firms cannot continue to run on generators and survive.

  • No plan to retrench civil servants –FG

    The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, has said there is no plan by the Federal Government to retrench civil servants.
    This is contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Mr Charles Dafe, Director of Information in the Ministry.
    The statement quoted Ahmed to have said this when Mr Makhtar Diop, Vice President African Region, World Bank, visited the minister in Abuja.
    It, however, stated that the present administration was committed to removing ghost workers from the public system.
    The statement also said that the Federal Government was making a thorough scrutiny on public expenditure to guarantee better returns on expenditure.
    “This is to ensure that Nigerians receive better returns on their expenditure, especially, in the productive sector of the economy,’’ it said.
    According to the statement, the minister requested the assistance of the World Bank to address the challenges confronting the country’s agricultural and economic sectors.
    “We shall send some of our specific requests to your bank, like assistance in agriculture and public expenditure review.
    “Empowering our National Bureau to perform household, inflation and poverty measurement surveys, including approaching other development partners to provide more grants support to Nigeria,’’ the statement said.
    The statement also quoted the Vice-President of the World Bank to have said that said the bank understood the present plight of Nigeria, the challenges of security and present fall in oil price resulting in dwindling revenue.
    He, in the statement, promised that the bank would provide helpful economic advice and better financial services to help Nigeria’s economy as well as support the country to grow its agricultural sector. (NAN)

  • Lekki Building Collapse: Ambode sacks GM, three others

    Lekki Building Collapse: Ambode sacks GM, three others

    In the wake of the Lekki Gardens building collapse, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday approved the dismissal of the General Manager of the Building Control Agency (LASBCA) Engr. Adeigbe Olushola.

    The Governor also approved the dismissal of the Head of Inspection and Quality Control in the Agency, Adeoye Thomas Adeyemi, the Zonal District Officer in the Agency, Dosunmu Gbadebo, while the Zonal Head of Eti-Osa West of the Agency, Mrs. Akinde Adenike Sherifat was compulsorily retired from the Civil Service.

    Governor Ambode in a statement signed by the State Head of Service, Mrs. Olabowale Ademola, said the affected officers were dismissed having been indicted of negligence, which according to him, is an act of misconduct under the Public Service Rule 040401.

    Rule 040401 of the Public Service act of misconduct states inter alia: “a willful act of omission or general misconduct to the scandal of the pubic or to the prejudice of discipline and proper administration of the State Government” should be visited with dismissal from the Public Service in line with the Public Service Rule 040503.

    The Head of Service said the disciplinary measure was the outcome of the recommendations of the Personnel Management Board to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who was personally grieved by the high number of fatalities that occurred as a result of the building collapse.

    She also warned public officials, private building owners or contractors who violate or subvert building regulations that it would no longer be business as usual, saying that the dismissal of the officers will serve as a wake-up call to public servants.

    “It is also a clarion call to them to be alive to their responsibilities as any act of negligence will face sanctions, while hardworking officers will be rewarded appropriately,” the Head of Service said.

    It would be recalled that on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, a building under construction at Lekki Gardens, Ikusenla Road, Ikate Elegushi, collapsed as a result of which many people died, and the State Government immediately mobilised all its rescue team comprising the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), among others, which led to the successful rescue of over 15 persons alive.

  • Sack of 400 workers pits labour against Ikeja Electric

    Sack of 400 workers pits labour against Ikeja Electric

    The Ikeja Electric (IE), a power distribution firm, has incurred the ire of Labour over the sack of 400 workers, including National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) deputy president.

    NUEE, Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG)  have issued a seven-day ultimatum to the company to recall the workers unconditionally or risk an industrial action, including the shutting down of Egbin Power station and related plants across the country.

    Egbin Power station and IE are owned by Sahara Energy. NUPENG said it had directed its members at the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC) “to commence a shutdown of supplies of gas to the thermal stations and plants if the 400 workers were not recalled before the expiration of the ultimatum.”

    Demanding for the recall of the workers, NUPENG said it would join NUEE when the timeline given IE to reinstate them lapses. The union said it would shut down NGC that supplies gas to thermal stations and plants all over the country.

    NUPENG President Mr. Igwe Achese, in a statement, said: “The union has put its members on notice in NGC to commence a shutdown of supplies of gas to the thermal stations and plants if the 400 workers are not called back to work when the seven-day ultimatum expires.”

    He said the 400 workers were sacked without due process and in line with relevant labour laws.

    IE, on February 26, sacked 400 workers, including NUEE Deputy President Mr. Christian Omemeh, allegedly without reason.

    Although the management said the action was a strategic step aimed at repositioning its business for better performance, the leadership of the three unions were obviously not impressed.

    The unions lamented that since the takeover of the company on November 1, 2013, the management  had not drawn  up a credible conditions of service for workers.

    Leaders of the unions said they had demanded from the management the parameters used, and it agreed to invite them to confidentially show them the parameters used and how the assessment was done. The union leaders, however, expressed regret that, no invitation had been extended to the union even as the management, contrary to best labour practices, went ahead to sack another batch of about 400 workers.

    The unions called on the relevant authorities such as the Federal Ministry of Power and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to call IE to order so that the nation will not be plunged into darkness in the next one week.

    The management of IE has defended the sack. Its  Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Felix Ofulue, said:  ”The key objectives of the company is to create a high performing organisation, which satisfies the needs of the stakeholders, especially our customers, as we reposition for growth.

    “In the last few months, the electricity distribution company has scaled up the metering programme in order to meet the expectations of our customers and further reduce the agitation on estimated billing.

    “It has also achieved significant strides in human capital development, which is critical to the repositioning programme.”

    Ofulue said as part of the strategic initiative, the company also embarked on a re-engineering exercise focused on aligning its structure with its operating model and optimising human capital capacity for better efficiency.

    “We wish to assure all our customers that the organisation has put in place processes to ensure excellent delivery of quality service to our customers in 2016 and beyond,” he added

    In a related development, the unions have called on the Federal government to quickly address the issue of non-payment of salaries to NUEE members across the country in the last 16 months. NUPENG also called on the Federal Government to intervene in the payment of severance benefits to 5, 000 NUEE members laid off during the last privatisation exercise.

  • Fayose sacks Ekiti revenue boss over alleged fraud

    Fayose sacks Ekiti revenue boss over alleged fraud

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has sacked the Chairman of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Ropo Ogunjobi over multimillion Naira fraud allegedly uncovered in the agency.

    Although the amount involved could not be immediately ascertained Friday, the fraud angered Fayose which made him to relieve Ogunjobi who also doubled as his Special Adviser on Revenue Matters.

    A statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Modupe Alade said Ogunjobi was removed for “negligence.”

    Two other persons were apprehended by agents of the state government and immediately handed over the suspects to the police.

    Investigations reveal that perpetrators include some staff of the board who collaborate with outsiders to commit the crime.

    The two suspects handed over to the Police by Fayose are a revenue officer, Omotayo Ojo and a printer, Akinniyi Akinsola

    Fayose revealed that the duo colluded together to print fake revenue receipts as well as issuing fake tax clearance certificates to unsuspecting residents.

    The suspects were said to have printed and began putting to use a total of 10 packets of fake revenue receipts before nemesis caught up with them.

    Fayose warned the people of the state to stop paying money directly to any revenue officer but to pay through the designated banks.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Etop James, who confirmed the development, explained that the command has launched investigation into fraud.

  • Much ado about VCs’ sack

    Much ado about VCs’ sack

    In one fell swoop, the Federal Government sacked 13 vice chancellors (VCs), provoking a debate about the propriety of the action. Some academics are calling for their reinstatement, but ASUU and Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu think otherwise.

    On February 12, the Federal Government sacked 13 vice chancellors (VCs).

    Twelve of the VCs were from the universities established by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2011 and 2013.  The 13th, Prof Ado Tenebe, was the VC of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

    The VCs’ sack removal and replacement of the vice chancellors did not go down well with the academic community, which is concerned about government’s action on university autonomy.  Last Wednesday, some civil society organisations protested at the National Assembly that most of the new VCs appointed as replacements are from the North.

    Many academics, especially from the universities where the VCs were sacked, declined comment.  However, those who spoke expressed divergent views.  While some condemned the government’s action, others backed it.

    Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Federal University of Technology, Minna chapter, Dr. Abdulfatai Jimoh, said the appointment or sack of a VC is the responsibility of the  governing council.

    Jimoh called for the reinstatement of the VCs, urging the government to allow for due process.

    “The one empowered to hire and sack VCs is the university’s governing council and every university has its own law and procedure. The rule of law should take its course and due process should be followed.

    “Unless the law gives the government such power, which I doubt, I do not think the Federal Government has the power to sack VCs. Although what happened has happened, we want the VCs to be restated and the correct and right thing should be done”, he said.

    A teacher at the Faculty of Education, Lagos State University (LASU), Adewale Noah, also believes that the VCs would be reabsorbed.

    “Let government do whatever they want to do; those vice chancellors are coming back because it is not the government that appointed them. Quote me, the matter has not yet ended; more trouble is still coming,” he said.

    Prof Francis Ezeonu, VC, Hezekiah University, a private university in Umudi, Imo State, faulted the government for taking the decision without consulting widely with stakeholders, especially the Committee of Vice Chancellors (CVCs).

    “This shows government’s poor handling of issues. I believe the Federal Government also failed to make wider consultation with key decision makers particularly the Committee of Vice Chancellors so that it can be advised more appropriately.

    “It is even more embarrassing that some of those universities have already declared vacancies for the vice chancellors’ position and government should therefore have allowed due process to take place.  It is a rape of the law setting up those institutions,” he said.

    The CVCs believes that the matter was not properly handled because it was made to imply that the VCs were all sacked when most had handed over having ended their tenure.

    CVCs Secretary-General, Prof Michael Faborode, said in an email that the act was demoralising for the VCs after working so hard.  He added that many of the universities’ governing councils, before they were dissolved, had started the process of appointing new VCs.

    “The CVCs re-affirms that eight of the VCs had completed their tenure of five years, hence it was needless to talk of ‘sacking’ and highly demoralizing and de-motivating when they had only one day left in office, as if that was the greatest problem confronting higher education in Nigeria. Many of them had held their convocation ceremonies, after having laid good foundations for the institutions.

    “Just as for appointment, removal of VCs, and only for just causes, should also follow due process and the law. These are not trivial matters, and they are at the heart of good governance of universities,” he said.

    But, a lecturer in the department of Urban and Regional Planning FUTMinna, Mr Samuel Medayese, said the government could sack the VCs because the idea of autonomy remains a theory in Federal Universities.

    He said most activities – from admission of students and the fees charged, to the employment of workers and appointment of VCs – have always had the influence of government.

    Medayese also questioned how the VCs were appointed.

    “The VCs that were sacked were appointed by the previous Federal Government and if they are sacked by the same government, then I guess they are on course.  We need to look into the issue to see if they passed through the screening mechanism or if they were imposed on these institutions,” he said.

    A lecturer at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), said he was not surprised by the sack, which affected his own VC, Prof Isaac Asuzu, who he said was handpicked by Prof Chinedu Nebo to replace him (Nebo) after he was appointed Minister.

    He said: “The removal of Prof. Asuzu as our VC did not come as a surprise because presently we have no governing council in place.

    “Besides, that tenure did not belong to Prof. Asuzu but to his predecessor, Prof. Chinedu Nebo who was appointed Minister of Power by the former President.

    “Prof. Nebo had barely spent a year in office before his appointment as Minister and he nominated Prof. Asuzu who was his protégé at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he (Nebo) had served as VC.

    “It is not true that Prof. Asuzu still had two or more years to spend. He was only completing the term of Prof. Nebo due to end in 2016.

    “But that does not mean that what the Federal Government did was right and lawful. They ought to have waited for the constitution of a new governing council before sacking the last VC.

    “You know each university has its edict which regulates the manner of appointment and removal of principal officers including the VC.”

    However, there is no law establishing the universities. This may have hamstrung ASUU national leadershi from reacting swiftly.

    Reacting last Tuesday, ASUU President, Prof Nasir Fagge, said the union had been calling for the law establishing the universities to be gazetted, but it was not done until Jonathan left office.  Without a law, he said the union could not condone illegality.  He, however expressed concern about the implication of the sack on due process, university autonomy and the growth of universities given that it has followed the same process – executive fiat.  He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to enure the right thing is done.

    He said: “ASUU, way back in 2011 condemned the manner in which the new universities were established through executive fiat by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. For upward of four years, the laws establishing these universities were not gazetted. All our entreaties to make government correct this anomaly fell on deaf ears.

    “The latest development in these universities has justified our consistent demand for proper governance structures and processes in the Nigerian university system. In the first place, Vice Chancellors were arbitrarily appointed into these institutions and governing councils instituted without making the enabling laws public.

    “We are worried that the same circle of illegality is playing out again. In a university where there is the law, only the governing council is empowered to remove a Vice Chancellor from office ‘for a good course’ and only a council has the power to appoint a Vice Chancellor in accordance with the law.

    “We therefore call in the Federal Government to tow the path of legality and due process by gazetting the law, appointing the council and mandating the councils to immediately commence the process of appointing the Vice Chancellors for the affected universities.”

    ASUU president said since the NOUN VC had spent more than the five year tenure for VCs stated in the law, his removal could not be faulted.

    Former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Peter Okebukola, supports ASUU position about the need for the Federal Government to follow due process.

    He said: “ For the others who had not completed their terms and even for the replacement of those who have, it is in the true spirit of university tradition to allow due process of appointment to be made. This means allowing Council to do its work of advertisement, interview of/interactive session with shortlisted candidates and appointment of the best candidate. The Jonathan administration erred in short-circuiting this process in the appointment of the foundation VCs for the 12 new federal universities.

    “Unfortunately, this error is again repeated. It is obviously unnecessary to do so. Only in mathematics do two negatives make a positive. Here, two wrongs do not make a right.”

    Those calling for the reinstatement of the VCs may have have lost the battle.

    Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu said government would not reverse its decision adding:

    “Do you reverse government decision simply because somebody has criticized them?” he asked. “I don’t think there is any decision of government not going down well with everyone in the country.

    “The ministry has received communications from some people who feel like this and we are looking at this. What I am saying is that they have already written to us. We are looking into their complaints. We will reply them.”