Fresh Controversy Trails Rectorship Position At YABATECH

Main entrance of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos

• PRO defends action, says they have always applied

• It’s against Federal Polytechnics Act, ASUP insists

The decision of the Governing Council of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) to shortlist and interview about three professors among other applicants for the rectorship position of the institution is causing a fuss at the college.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), YABATECH Chapter, cautioned the council against selecting or interviewing professors as candidates for the position.

Chairman, ASUP, YABATECH Chapter, Adeyemi Aromolaran, said the entire procedure for the exercise was shrouded in secrecy as not all members of the governing council were engaged during the selection process.

He said: “What we are arguing is that the governing council had gone outside the criteria spelt out in the advertorial. There is no place in the advert that gives a professor the chance to apply.”

Also, ASUP South-West Zonal Co-ordinator, Mr. Adetunji Omoba Orun, who addressed journalists in Lagos on the issue, said that not only did the council violate the Federal Polytechnic Act by its action, but also, in an advertorial placed in The Guardian on Thursday, July 20, 2017, the institution stipulated that candidates applying for the post of a rector must, among others, “be a chief lecturer with not less than five years experience on that grade.”

He further accused the sitting rector, Dr. Margaret Kudirat Ladipo of having vested interest in the ongoing exercise, saying, “we learnt she is trying to appreciate her lecturer who supervised her during her Ph.D programme. You cannot use this kind of position for appreciation.”

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the college, Dr. Charles Oni, said: “The vacancy for the position of rector was published and if you follow the trend in rectorship recruitment, professors have always applied for the position. Besides, professors, such as the late Ayo Awojobi, helped in making YABATECH what it is today.”

On the allegation that the sitting rector had vested interest, he stated: “I can confirm to you that it is another ploy by detractors to unnecessarily castigate the innocent woman. She had last month declared before the academic board that she had no vested interest or candidate.

“By the way, is anything wrong if she has interest in any of the candidates? If someone had been in a political office for eight successful years, are we saying she wouldn’t have mentored some people to take over from her?”

In another development, the World Bank has given Ekiti State a pass mark on its implementation of the State Education Programme Investment Project (SEPIP) being sponsored by the global financial institution.

The Task Team Leader (TTL) of the Project Implementation Support Mission of the World Bank, Dr. Tunde Adekola, who spoke during a two-day inspection visit to the state, said that the state had achieved almost all the ‘Disbursement Linked Indicators’ (DLIs) such as teachers’ deployment in rural areas and deployment of teachers of core subjects like English language, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and basic science as well as assessment of students’ achievements and Schools Based Management Committees (SBMC).

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