CNPP asks FG to reinstate NOUN VC, three others

Education Minister - Adamu Adamu

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties on Sunday asked the Federal Government to immediately reinstate the Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Prof. Vincent Tenebe and three others whose tenure were yet to elapse but were erroneously included among 12 others who were sacked.

The CNPP in a statement by its Secretary general, Willy Ezugwu, said it would spearhead a protest with other civil society organisations on Wednesday to call for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

The organisation condemned the “erroneous” inclusion of  the name of the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, in the sack notice, adding that his tenure had yet to elapse.

The group stated that the action of the Federal Government contravened laid down rules “and could lead to industrial unrest in the education sector.”

Ezugwu stressed that the Governing Council empowered by law to recommend the sack of the NOUN VC has not recommended any of such action, adding, that therefore “the action of the government  runs against the rule of law which the current administration has sworn to uphold.”

The CNPP urged President Muhammadu Buhari to caution Adamu Adamu, else, “the action of the minister will only attract more chaos in our universities.”

Adamu had in a short statement, simply said President Buhari, has approved the appointment of new Vice Chancellors for the universities.

But the CNPP described the actions of the minister as reckless, while also faulting “the deliberate decision of the minister to replaced the VCs with his northern kinsmen.”

The CNPP said  the action of the minister contravened the university miscellaneous Act No.25, 1996 and further amended in 2003 and 2012 respectively and other agreements as contained in the 2009 FGN staff union agreement.

He pointed that four out of the 12 newly appointed vice chancellors are from Kano University, an action he said, was a clear violation of the federal character principle

He urged human rights activists and those in the academia to rise up and speak up against the sack.

“We received the news of the sack of the Vice Chancellor of NOUN and 12 others with shock,” Ezugwu said.

“It is obvious that the Minister of Education is yet to abreast himself with the laws governing university system in Nigeria.

“We like to say the sack was done in bad taste and urge the minister to immediately reverse such sack."

Punch