The Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture (ASUCA) has rejected the appointment of Prof. Jeremiah Jonathan Atungwu as Provost/CEO of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan.
According to ASUCA National President, Williams Manggoe, speaking at a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Plateau State Council in Jos on Thursday, “The Union considers this appointment a direct affront and gross disregard for the autonomy and unique identity of our system. The Colleges of Agriculture are distinct in mission, vision, structure, and its leadership should rightly emerge from within the system.”
ASUCA has called for the immediate reversal of the appointment and instead advocates for the appointment of qualified staff from the Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCA) or National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) who attended the interview. “The best and qualified staff from any of the FCA/NARIs who attended the interview should be appointed,” the union stated.
The union further argued that Prof. Atungwu is not qualified for the position, stating, “The said University Professor was not qualified for the position based on the advertisement and couldn’t have applied. If he erroneously did, he should not have been shortlisted in the first instance and let alone invited for the interview and being considered for the appointment.”
According to the union, eligible candidates for the position of Provost/CEO should be Assistant Directors, Associate Professors, or Principal Lecturers from NARIs and FCAs.
In addition to this issue, ASUCA President Williams Manggoe highlighted other challenges faced by the union, including the continuous delay in the release of the Scheme of Service (SOS) and Condition of Service (COS) for Federal Colleges of Agriculture and related institutions under the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN). “This delay is frustrating to ASUCA members,” he noted.
