Lecturers protest appointment of university don as college provost
The Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture has announced a three-day warning strike in protest against the appointment of a university professor, Prof. Jeremiah Atumgwu, as the Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Addressing journalists in Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, ASUCA National President, Williams Manggoel, said the strike would run from Monday to Wednesday next week following the expiration of a 21-day notice issued by the union.
“We have exhausted the 21-day notice provided by the law and have decided to embark on three days warning strike,” Manggoel declared.
He described Atumgwu’s appointment as a violation of the advertised criteria, which stipulated that only Assistant Directors, Associate Professors, or Principal Lecturers from National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) and Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCAs) were eligible to apply.
“The appointments of university professors as Provost/CEO in Colleges of Agriculture will not just cause brain drain, but it is demoralising and a discouragement to academic staff who have given their best to rise to the zenith of their career,” Manggoel stated.
The union also objected to the advertisement for the position of Provost/CEO at the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, which listed Associate Professor as the minimum qualification.
ASUCA insisted that only qualified staff from FCAs and NARIs should be considered and called for the withdrawal and correction of the advertisement.
The union warned that bringing in university professors unfamiliar with the unique challenges of agricultural colleges could destabilise the system.
