Academic staff union protest refusal of FCE Gusau provost to vacate office

The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has raised concern over the continued stay in office of Dr. Hauwa’u Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim as the Provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Gusau.

The President of COEASU, Dr. Smart Olugbeko, in a statement, said Dr Hauwa’u has been found to have “manipulated” her promotion documents that “qualified” her to be appointed as the provost of the college by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Olugbeko said: “The union is shocked that six months after the directive, she has neither resigned nor vacated her office as she continued to superintend over the institution, taking critical decisions as provost.”

Earlier, the Federal Ministry of Education had set up an investigative committee to look into the petition of ineligibility of Dr Hauwa’u for the post of provost.

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A letter by the Federal Ministry of Education, dated  December 28, 2023, and addressed to the provost, which was seen by Daily Trust Saturday, reads: “The petitions alleged (among others) that at the material time of your applying for the post and screening exercise for the post, you had not served as a Chief Lecturer for a cumulative period of five (5) years in the College of Education sector, which requirement is one of the cardinal eligibility criteria specified in the advertisement for the post of provost, extant laws and regulations.”

The letter, which was signed by the former Permanent Secretary, Andrew Adejo, said: “You will quite agree with the FME Investigative Committee’s finding that you only got your promotion to the post of Chief Lecturer in 2023, contrary to your representation to the College’s Council Selection Board to the effect that you got the said promotion in 2017. This very fact/finding was equally corroborated by your (former) employer, Shehu Shagari College of Education vide your records of service made available to the committee.” 

“The ministry, having considered the report of the investigative committee notes as founded that ab initio, you did not qualify for the position,” the letter reads.  

“In view of the above therefore, the ministry is constrained to direct that you honourably resign your appointment as the substantive Provost of Federal College of Education, (Gusau), having not met the eligibility criteria for the post in the first place and in the interest of public policy. You are by this directive required to resign immediately, and hand over to the most Senior Chief Lecturer in the College with effect from the date of your receipt of this letter,”Adejo said.

However, when contacted, the Provost, Dr. Hauwa’u, who is yet to vacate her seat, said: “This matter is before a court of law and I believe it is not proper for me to comment on a case that is being entertained by a court. It is better that we should allow the court to decide on this case.”