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• Council shortlists 59-year applicant, another with BSc Chemistry
By Gabriel Dike
The Joint Action Congress (JAC) of the three staff unions of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, have defended their decision to protest against the Governing Council’s disqualification of one of the deputy registrars who applied for the vacant registrar’s position.
Leaders of the three unions, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), said the decision of the council to disqualify the deputy registrar from the race violated the Polytechnics Act (2019), amended.
A member of the JAC told The Education Report that the most qualified deputy registrar was disqualified from the race to pave the way for a preferred applicant with less experience.
He specifically stated that the advertorial for the position contravened the Polytechnic Act and defended the three staff unions’ decision to boycott the meeting convened by the college management to elect a representative into the selection board for appointment a registrar.
According to one of the chairmen, requirements for the position include a degree in Art, Social Science or Humanities, 18 years’ post-qualification experience, knowledge in the rules and regulations of the polytechnic system, not more than 59 years of age, applicant must be a deputy registrar for a period not less than five years in a higher institution, among other requirements.
The chairman revealed that the council violated the advert requirements and the Polytechnic Act, which prescribed that a registrar, shall hold a single tenure of five years, beginning from the date of appointment as specified in the letter of appointment.
The JAC said the three unions were backing the disqualified applicant because of the wrong application of the 59 years rule with exclusion of explanatory guide to serve five years without meeting the mandatory age of 65 years.
He further explained that the council violated its own advert requirements by shortlisting a 59 years external applicant as well as a candidate with a BSc in Chemistry.
“The advert on requirements states that an applicant must have good honours in Art, Social Science and Humanities but the council shortlisted an applicant with BSc. Chemistry without cognate experience in the polytechnic sector, which is against the template approved in the advert for the position of registrar,’’ one of the chairmen added.
The staff unions also revealed that the council shortlisted an external applicant, who was 59 years old, but disqualified an internal candidate of the same age.
He explained that, in March 2023, JAC wrote the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) through the Lagos Zonal office, for clarification and the board’s coordinator acknowledged receipt of the letter but no action has been taken.
The unions told The Education Report that the governing council had an emergency meeting in May 2023 and four internal council members protested and also wrote a petition to the council’s chairman on the wrong application of the Polytechnic Act.
“Four out of five internal council members wrote a protest letter to the council chairman expressing their displeasure about the disqualification of the internal deputy registrar,” he said.
The union’s leaders said many council members provided superior argument based on the Polytechnic Act (2019) amended which states that an applicant for the position would only serve a five-year single tenure, which the disqualified deputy registrar met.
“The three unions boycotted the meeting to elect a representative to the interview board. We want to correct the wrong impression that a former deputy registrar was disqualified at 59 years when he contested the position years back. As at the time he applied, he had clocked 60 years,” JAC added.
The staff unions also supported their position with the recent appointment of a rector for the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, who would be 60 years by August, noting, “he was appointed in May. It means he was 59 years when he was appointed, yet the governing council did not disqualify him.’’
‘’Even the former Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, presented an appointment letter to the rector, Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, who is currently 59 years but, in our case, the council disqualified an applicant of the same age.’’
JAC debunked the insinuation that some YABATECH chief lecturers were disqualified on age grounds during the selection exercise for a new rector five years ago.
“The council chairman cannot suppress and oppress our voices and violate the Polytechnic Act (2019) amended. We don’t want to continue with illegality and some of our members would be affected by the action of the council. JAC is not targeting any individual and we don’t want it to serve as reference point in future,” he argued.
The unions called on the Ministry of Education to direct YABATECH to emulate the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, which applied the rules of five-year single tenure for applicants event at 59 years, while in our owncase, a deputy registrar was disqualified for the same age.
