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By Gabriel Dike, Lagos
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Yaba College of Technology chapter, has made a passionate appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently appoint a substantive rector for the institution before his exit on May 29.
The ASUP branch of YABATECH made the demand at a press briefing on Friday held on the campus.
Chairman of ASUP, Comrade Ojo Monday, said the selection process for a substantive rector for the college was concluded in November 2022 but six months after, the institution is without a substantive rector.
He added: “Three names, Dr Abdul Ibrahim, Dr Ofodili Lawretta and Dr Okesoto Olabanji all from the institution forwarded to the Federal Government by the Governing Council of the college as stipulated in the Polytechnic Act (Amended 2019).
“This is therefore to appeal to the Federal Government to please expedite action on the appointment of substantive rector for the main reason that the acting rector has limited powers.”
Monday disclosed that many important decisions could not be reached, action can not be taken and that it is affecting the effective running of the system.
“Aside from the fact that the acting rector has limitations in terms of funds to be used for the development of the institution, there are some statutory committees he cannot constitute and this is affecting the administrative running of the institution,” he added.
Giving examples of federal institutions like the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Federal Polytechnic, Bida and Ile-Oluji, which started their process after YABATECH has since gotten a substantive rector, Ojo said the college as the first tertiary institution in Nigeria, should be at the forefront, and assume the leadership role for other institutions to learn and copy from because the first should remain the best.
On the expectation of the academic union from the new government coming on May 29, the ASUP Chairman said the administration should look into increasing the intervention fund for YABATECH.
The chairman said the increment will enhance the human and capacity development as well as staff welfare of the institution.
