Precious Oham
The Provost, Federal College of Education Technical, FCET, Akoka, Lagos, Wahab Azeez has decried that the ongoing ‘Provost must go’ protest is targeted at causing chaos that will lead to the forceful closure of the institution.
Azeez stated this on Friday in Lagos during a press conference to address the state of affairs in Nigeria’s first College of Education Technical.
Recall that a group of ‘Concerned Staff’ in the institution are agitating for the removal of the Provost citing the position of the FCE Act, 2023 in respect to the tenure of the Provost.
According to Azeez, the ‘Concerned Staff’ embarked on a protest in the College’s premises since 27th May, 2024 seeking his removal from office.
Azeez noted that the claim of expiration of his tenure from 26th May, 2024 by the ‘Concerned Staff’ is contrary to the provision of the FCE Act of 2023.
He went further to say that despite concerted efforts by the relevant authorities to wade into the matter, the ‘Concerned Staff’ are “hell bent to create chaos in the Colllege in order to create an atmosphere of ungovernable situation that might force the closure of the institution.
“After abortive attempts at peaceful internal resolutions, it is crystal clear that some of the staff behind the protest have ulterior motives, being fuelled by vested interests, other than they want the arbitrators and members of the public to believe.
“I want to conclude that the organisers of the protests in the College are hell bent in disrupting the peaceful academic atmosphere which the College has been enjoying for the past Five (5) years I have been the Provost.
“I hope the Honourable Minister of Education in Abuja would use his good office and expedite action by calling these lawless staff who don’t believe in the rule of law to order.
“Seeing that internal means seemed abortive and hindered, I hereby seek the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Education, Security Agencies and law enforcement agencies in the country and our ever proactive, investigative and analytic media to intervene to ensure peace and tranquillity and curtail the unlawful acts of the said “Concerned Staff.”