The Joint Action Congress of the University of Ibadan on Thursda, November 5 met to discuss the ongoing crisis in the institution.
In a communique after the meeting which was signed by the NASU and SSANU executives and made available to The Precision NG, the union reiterated the point that political jobbers wont be allowed to dictate the pace in UI again.
“They have destroyed everything good about UI. The morale of workers is at abysmal level. They cannot pay workers. The university is insolvent. They are owing IBEDC. They have milked dry the DLC, COLLEGE OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES and ALL IGRs points. University of Ibadan is in reds,” the union stated.
The union assured its members that the struggle to retrieve University of Ibadan from predators is on course.
“Only God knows the next Vice-Chancellor of the University. We have made our position known and we know we cannot be a judge in our own case. While we await the final resolution of the conundrum, we want to use this platform to commend all the shortlisted candidates for their maturity and forbearance during the protest. We also appreciate the Council Chairman for his fatherly presence to address our Congress. We also want to appreciate Professors Ezekiel Ayoola and Peter Olapegba for having the confidence in our congress that they are harmless and peaceful friends when the duo walked in through the protesting JAC to pick Professors Ayoola’s Toyota Sienna at the NISER CAR PARK,” it stated.
The union also pleaded with the Federal Government to pay the salaries of the University teachers as it believed that idleness is affecting some of them.
“We also recommend a paradigm shift towards strengthening academic quality with the idea that students should assess their teachers on content, mode of delivery etc. It is laughable that the arm of university governance saddled with enforcing academic policies is still looking the other way in ensuring the implementation of the decision almost a decade since the decision was taken. Why? Perhaps because many who are to impart knowledge cannot because of their shallow depth in the subject area and their warped style of delivery, which is far from the generally accepted global best practices,” the union noted.
The UI JAC in the communique also recommended a comprehensive change in the process of the appointment of Vice-Chancellors.
“The powers of the Vice-Chancellor in the selection/election of the Deputy Vice-Chancellors must be reduced. Composition of Councils must be reviewed.
“There is the need to correct the erroneous impression of any paid worker in the University, irrespective of the status, that the University is their fiefdom. They run the Universities like their captured territories. The rottenness in the University system, the servitude, the pillaging, the stealing, the oppression, the abuse of power, the crumbs scavenging, the divide-and-rule here dwarfs what you see in town! They have so much destroyed the University system to the extent that it is the town that impacts the gown now,” it said.
The union also appreciated all the media houses for the supports it had enjoyed so far, adding that its resolve was to defend public interest and won’t relent in doing so.
The Precision NG reports that the crisis in the University of Ibadan is not far from over as the deadline approaches. A new VC should takeover from the outgoing one, Prof Abel Olayinka by December but the coast is not clear as the selection process had been suspended.
The UI JAC had last week Wednesday, October 28 disrupted the selection process convened by the council of the institution led by its Chairman, NDE Joshua Waklek. Six aspirants are contesting the coveted seat but the union members believed that the process is being skewed to favor the candidate of the outgoing VC.
One of the issues raised by the JAC against the process was also the inclusion of a staff of the federal ministry of education, Dr Uchena Uba on the list of council members to conduct the selection process. For them Uba should be an observer and not a member of the panel. (The Precision NG)
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