The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Owerri Zone, has demanded the immediate resignation of the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Prof. Nnenna Oti, for alleged corrupt practices and anti-union activities.
ASUU stated this in a statement signed by its Zonal Coordinator, Dennis Aribodor, during a press conference held in the UNIZIK Secretariat of the Union in Awka, the capital of Anambra State, on Friday.
Aribodor, who was accompanied by other members of the union to the press conference, disclosed that their Secretariat in FUTO had been sealed by the university’s Vice Chancellor through the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the institution.
He accused the university Don of polarizing ASUU and causing rifts among members of the union in the institution after she resigned as a member of the union.
Aribodor said, “The attention of the ASUU, Owerri Zone, has been drawn to the consistent and concerted efforts of the administration of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, to ridicule the leadership of ASUU and cause disaffection within the ASUU FUTO branch of the Union.
“On June 22, 2023, the Vice Chancellor of FUTO, Prof. Nnenna Oti, purportedly resigned her membership in the ASUU of the university using the official letterhead of the office of the Vice Chancellor.
“Oti ought to have known that labor laws do not permit an employer to belong to a union of employees. Consequently, as Vice Chancellor of FUTO, she is not a member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
“If she desires to resign her membership of the Union, she should resign in her individual capacity following the extant provisions of the Constitution of the Academic Staff Union of Universities as stipulated in Article 3 Section (vii).
“Sequel to the purported resignation, the unfortunate events began to unfold on July 3, 2023, with a purported Congress meeting in which a group of ASUU-FUTO members, acting out an already prepared script, purportedly suspended all the former executives of ASUU in FUTO and replaced them with new ones in an acting capacity.
“This was immediately followed by the sealing of the ASUU-FUTO Secretariat by the chief security officer of the university. The ASUU Owerri Zone hopes that these misguided members understand that the former Executive Committee of the ASUU-FUTO is the one that was led by Dr. Christopher Echereobia, who is alleged to be the brain behind the efforts to decimate the union in FUTO.
“Again, on July 4, 2023, one Mr. C.C. Onwuachu, the acting Secretary of the misguided members, wrote to the Secretary of ASUU-FUTO, demanding a handover of all ASUU property to him. As we speak, the Secretariat of ASUU-FUTO is still under lock and key, despite the appeal made to the Vice Chancellor by the leadership of ASUU.”
The union also stated that the legitimate leadership of ASUU FUTO is the executive committee led by Comrade Chinedu Ihejirika, adding that any other group that claims leadership of the union at FUTO is but a group of imposters.
“On July 13, 2023, a letter from the registrar of the university, Chiedozie Uba, directed all chairmen and executive committee members of staff of the union in the university to obtain approval before embarking on any trip outside the university.
“This directive, targeted at the leadership of the staff unions, is discriminatory and obnoxious. It is discriminatory in the sense that any staff member of FUTO other than the Chairman and Executive members of the Staff Union is at liberty to embark on any trip outside the university without approval. Where then is the sense of justice, equity, fair play, and good conscience on the part of the Administration of FUTO?” the group added.
They, however, noted that the second letter from the Vice Chancellor, Professor Nnenna Oti, where gave all staff union members two weeks from the date of the letter to submit the duly signed membership forms of members authorizing the deduction of check-off dues and any other monies from their salaries is a violation of the trade union act and constitution of the union.
Another bone of contention rocking the union that was raised in the press conference is the corrupt and fraudulent professorial appointment of the former Minister of Communication, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami by the Oti-led Administration of FUTO.
“In the dailies of Monday, September 21, 2020, the authority of the Federal University of Technology Owerri advertised for staff vacancies. For the position (qualification and Experience), the advertisement stipulated a doctorate degree in the relevant field plus a minimum of twelve (12) years of post-qualification experience in teaching and research at a university.
“Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami did not have the 12 years of post-qualification experience, having obtained his doctorate degree in March 2014. This deficit in a sane claim implies that Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami should not have made the shortlist of qualified candidates. His application should have been discarded at this point.
“This was not to be; the authority in FUTO began the scheme that saw him enlisted as one of the seven Readers Associate Professors promoted to the rank of Professor. After the purported promotion, he was issued an appointment letter.
“ASUU NEC directed ASUU-FUTO to inquire into the matter. ASUU-FUTO Congress concluded that the appointment followed due process without resorting to the ASUU NEC and went to the public with the conclusion. There were protests by those who know the career progression of Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim,” they added.
The Owerri Zone of ASUU comprises lecturers from the following universities: Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State University, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umuahia, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Recall that Prof. Oti, who was the Returning Officer of the 2023 governorship election in Abia State, had been celebrated for her perceptible incorruptibility.
