With tomorrow’s (Monday’s) expiration of the five-day ultimatum given to the Governing Council of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in Rivers State by the university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the ongoing examinations are under threat.

UNIPORT’s ASUU, which has Dr. Austen Sado as Chairperson, declared that the June 6 “purported” suspension of the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ndowa Lale, was illegal and did not follow due process, insisting that it must be rescinded on or before June 27, to maintain industrial peace and harmony or be ready for prolonged strike.

The lecturers also rejected the appointment of Prof. Anthony Ibe, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT.

Investigation in Port Harcourt yesterday by our reporter revealed that if Lale’s suspension was not reversed tomorrow, the members of UNIPORT’s ASUU would hold emergency congress, where the decision to proceed on indefinite strike would be taken.

With UNIPORT’s revised academic calendar for 2015/2016 session, as approved at the 422nd meeting (extra-ordinary) of the Senate of the higher institution, full-time students arrived on campus on June 19, while the first semester examinations would be between June 20 and July 16 (4 weeks), with the students to proceed on break between July 18 and July 23 and the second semester would commence on July 24, with the second semester lectures to be between July 25 and October 14 (12 weeks).

The federal university (UNIPORT) was shut in the evening of April 11 this year, after the students’ violent protest earlier in the day, over the management’s “no school fees, no examinations” policy, led to the death of a final year student in the Faculty of Management Sciences, Peter Ofurum, but the institution was reopened on June 19, while the first semester examinations started the next day.

The vice-chancellor, who hails from Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers state, was suspended by the Governing Council of the varsity for alleged incompetence and dereliction of duties, especially for being unable to prevent the protest and death of the student.

Lale, who succeeded barely a year ago, Prof. Joseph Ajienka, a renowned Petroleum Engineer, who hails from Okrika in Rivers state, proceeded to the Federal High Court (FHC), Port Harcourt, where he challenged his suspension, with the court asking the parties to report to FHC later this month for out-of-court settlement.

ASUU of UNIPORT also declared that the Barr. Okechukwu Ajunwa-led committee set up by the Governing Council to investigate the students’ protest and issues related to it, amounted to a usurpation of the powers of the university’s Senate.

UNIPORT’s ASUU said: “The ‘suspension’ of Prof. Lale did not follow the process/procedure for the removal of a Vice-Chancellor from office, as stated in the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act 2003, as amended. In any case of a vacancy in the office of the Vice-Chancellor, the council shall appoint an Acting Vice-Chancellor, on the recommendation of the Senate (Section 3: 13).

“The purported suspension was meted out without due process, investigation and establishment of culpability of Prof. Lale. There was no known petition against him, no query, no report or recommendation by the council or any committee properly constituted for the purpose of investigating the alleged misconduct of Prof. Lale.”

The academic staff of the university stated that should the governing council, after due process, find Lale or any other officer culpable of any misdemeanour, it would support any punitive measure, as provided in the statute and regulations guiding UNIPORT, while asking the members of the governing council and all parties in the conflict to allow reason to prevail.

Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/

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