The Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture (ASUCA) has expressed strong objections to the recent appointment of a University Professor as the Provost/CEO of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan. According to the union, the appointment contravenes the advertisement for the position, which specified that only Assistant Directors, Associate Professors, or Principal Lecturers from National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) and Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCAs) were eligible.
In a press briefing at the NUJ Press Centre in Jos, Plateau State, the Acting National President of ASUCA, Comr. Williams Manggoel, stated that the appointment would cause brain drain and demoralize academic staff in FCAs. He also noted that the union had previously objected to the appointment of University Professors as Provost/CEO in FCAs in a letter to the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) in 2020.
*DEMANDS*
The union demands the immediate reversal of the appointment and the appointment of the best and qualified staff from FCAs/NARIs who attended the interview. ASUCA also demands the withdrawal and correction of the advertisement for the position of Provost/CEO of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, to indicate that only qualified academic staff in FCAs and NARIs are eligible.
Furthermore, the union demands that the ARCN provide evidence of efforts being made to update the Scheme of Service (SOS) and Condition of Service (COS) for FCAs and related institutions, which has been delayed since 2020.
*IMPLICATIONS*
The appointment of University Professors as Provost/CEO in FCAs would undermine the career progression of academic staff and create unnecessary tension and instability within the system. The union's demands aim to protect the autonomy and unique identity of the Colleges of Agriculture and ensure that leadership emerges from within the system.
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