The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ordered the removal of the rectors of five federal polytechnics, finding that they lack the qualifications required for the position. The court also barred the dismissed rectors from applying for the same posts in the future.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) reported that, in July 2021, it had taken the Federal Ministry of Education to court over the appointment of five “unqualified rectors” to newly established federal polytechnics. ASUP National President Anderson Ezeibe criticized the government’s selections, stating that a qualified rector must be a Chief Lecturer with at least five years of experience in any polytechnic.
In 2021, the government announced the creation of new federal polytechnics in Cross River, Oyo, Plateau, Benue, and Borno states. The Federal Polytechnics Amendment Act 2019 specifies that a rector must be a Chief Lecturer with a minimum of five years’ experience in a Nigerian polytechnic. According to the ASUP president, the appointed rectors did not meet these statutory requirements.
In a certified true copy of the judgment released on Saturday, Justice Obaseki Osaghae ruled that the appointments of Dr Terlumun Utser (Federal Polytechnic, Wannune), Prof Edwin Onyeneje (Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo), Prof Edward Okey (Federal Polytechnic, Ugep), Dr Zakari Ya’u (Federal Polytechnic, Shendam), and Prof Garba Ngala (Federal Polytechnic, Mungonu) were unlawful. The judgment stated: “The purported appointment of the 3rd to 7th defendants by the 1st defendant is hereby set aside as they failed to meet the minimum statutory qualification… a Chief Lecturer in the polytechnic sector with at least five years’ experience, among other criteria.”
The court issued several injunctions: it restrained the 1st and 2nd defendants, whether acting personally or through agents, from any action that would maintain or recognize the 3rd to 7th defendants as rectors. It also barred the 3rd to 7th defendants from presenting themselves as rectors, assuming office, or performing any rector duties while statutorily unqualified. Furthermore, the defendants are prohibited from applying for rector positions at any federal polytechnic unless they meet the legal qualifications. The claimants were awarded costs of ₦500,000.
Comments are closed for this story.