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..As Management Insist On \u201cTradition And<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Norms\u201d Over Act Establishing University<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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The University authorities through the Registrar, Mr. Chiedozie Uba, in a circular to the<\/p>\n
University Community, dated May 30, 2024, with the theme: \u2018CLARIFICATION ON THE<\/p>\n
TENURE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE INTERNAL GOVERNING COUNCIL AND THE<\/p>\n
CONSTITUTION OF THE NEXT COUNCIL\u2019, appreciated its representatives in the recently<\/p>\n
dissolve Governing Council, who were elected for 4-year tenure but served for only a<\/p>\n
year and nine months. In the circular, the Registrar insisted that the grand norm and<\/p>\n
tradition of the university forbids them from either being reinstated to serve out their<\/p>\n
tenure or running for a second tenure.<\/p>\n
In response to the Registrar\u2019s letter, the leadership of ASUU, FUTO Branch on behalf of<\/p>\n
her members disagreed and faulted the Registrar's stance on "grand norm and<\/p>\n
tradition". According to Dr Chinedu Ihejirika and Dr Etienne Chinakwe, Chairperson and<\/p>\n
Secretary respectively of ASUU – FUTO, the University's Registrar relied on "hear-say"<\/p>\n
rather than facts.<\/p>\n
In a statement jointly signed by both the Chairperson and Secretary of ASUU-FUTO, they<\/p>\n
maintained that "This is just a \u201chear-say\u201d as no document has ever been presented to<\/p>\n
the University Community to that effect\u201d. "However, if there exists such a document,<\/p>\n
the circulation of the minutes of the refereed meeting held in 1993 would be more<\/p>\n
convincing".<\/p>\n
\u00a0ASUU further stated that the Registrar should be aware that any norm, practice or<\/p>\n
tradition in matters of this nature that is at variance with the Law and Act establishing<\/p>\n
Federal Government Institutions like FUTO and the Constitution of the Federal Republic<\/p>\n
of Nigeria is to the extent of its application a nullity, and that government and its<\/p>\n
institutions are run by Laws rather than grand norms, practices, conventions and<\/p>\n
traditions.<\/p>\n
ASUU roundly condemned the Registrar for trying to legalize \u201cgrand norms\u201d and<\/p>\n
\u201cpractice\u201d which should not override the rights of any individual to complete his\/her<\/p>\n
four-year tenure or to contest for a second tenure as contained in the THIRD SCHEDULE,<\/p>\n
Section 9(3) of the Act establishing the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).<\/p>\n
Quite strongly, too, they described as misleading, the University's Registrar's subtle<\/p>\n
insinuation that members of the 12th Governing Council have served out their term. The<\/p>\n
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Union insists they have served only a year and a few months and that they are yet to<\/p>\n
serve out the four-year tenure for which they were elected.<\/p>\n
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A Professor of the University who was contacted on assurance of anonymity aligned<\/p>\n
himself with the position of ASUU-FUTO leadership on the matter. He went further to<\/p>\n
cite the Managements of many Universities, like University of Uyo, Nnamdi Azikiwe<\/p>\n
University, Awka, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and most other<\/p>\n
Federal Universities in Western and Northern Nigeria, who have returned all their<\/p>\n
elected council members to complete their respective tenures. He wondered why the<\/p>\n
FUTO Administration is insisting on toeing the path of illegality which is now causing<\/p>\n
tension in the University. Other academic staff contacted on the same matter<\/p>\n
corroborated the position of ASUU-FUTO, while few others expressed their neutrality on<\/p>\n
the legality of the matter but insisted on their support for the University Administration,<\/p>\n
since according to them, the issue in contention is an internal affair of the university,<\/p>\n
while others refused to comment for fear of victimization.<\/p>\n
Several attempts to reach the leadership of the other Unions in the University, viz;<\/p>\n
SSANU, NAAT and NASU were not successful. However, some of their members who<\/p>\n
were contacted aligned themselves on the path of legality insisting that the Act<\/p>\n
establishing FUTO supersedes \u201cgrand norms and practice\u201d as contained in the<\/p>\n
Registrar\u2019s letter to the University Community.<\/p>\n
A top management staff, who wished anonymity, expressed shock and wondered why<\/p>\n
the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. N.N. Oti, who was widely acclaimed nationwide to be the face<\/p>\n
of democracy and whose image soared to high heavens when she toed the path of<\/p>\n
honour, truth, and integrity and did what was universally applauded in Abia State in the<\/p>\n
last governorship election, could watch and oversee the entrenchment of illegality in<\/p>\n
FUTO which is now brewing serious tension that could lead to disruption of peace and<\/p>\n
the academic calendar of the institution.<\/p>\n
Feelers from the University appeared to reveal a deep division between the staff and<\/p>\n
the management, with many on one side and others on the side of the management. It's<\/p>\n
hoped that the looming crises in the University will be arrested sooner, lest it snowball<\/p>\n
into an avoidable academic disruption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
..As Management Insist On \u201cTradition And Norms\u201d Over Act Establishing University The University authorities through<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-frontpage"],"yoast_head":"\n