By Muhammad Tanko Shittu —
The Joint Union of Plateau State-Owned Tertiary Institutions, JUPTI, has condemned the sacking of all heads of the state-owned tertiary educational institutions, describing the action as illegality.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had recently sacked all chief executives of the five state-owned tertiary institutions, as well as all staff recruited and employed under the immediate past governor, Simon Bako Lalong.
The governor’s decision sparked protests by the sacked workers who stormed the entrance of the Government House to register their grievances.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, the chairman of the joint union, Sunoe Peter, claimed that the governor’s decision was allegedly taken without due regard to the laws establishing the institutions.
According to him, the removal of former heads and temporary appointments of the five heads of tertiary education institutions were mere political witch-hunts, “that portends bad precedents in the state”.
He said: “The Joint Union observed with concern the politicization of removal and appointment of chief executives of tertiary institutions and outright cancellation of employment carried out in October, 2022.
“It is in the light of the above that we are compelled today to call for this press conference to address, inform and educate you on the danger and negative precedents the action of government will create in the nearest future.”
The union reminded the governor that the offices of the Vice Chancellor, Plateau State University, Bokkos; Rector Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi; College of Education, Gindiri; College of Health, Technology Pankshin; and College of Health Technology, Zawan, were advertised and an interview was conducted and they were found worthy of appointment, in line with edicts and laws that established them.
“We wonder which criteria was used to remove the heads of the tertiary institutions? The removal of these officers was not in line with the extant laws governing the institutions,” they said.
The union further requested for domestication of the Polytechnic Act 2019, the implementation of N35,000 Wage Award and the constitution of the governing council.
They also said the sacking of the 2022 employed staff of the institutions, will definitely constitute a setback in the state-owned tertiary institutions.
“It is sad that it is the educational sector that the government chose to politicize when we expect pro-activeness in the educational sector. This action is painful and should be noted that any government toying with education is destroying the future generation,” they cautioned.
The union urged well-meaning Plateau people to intervene in order that the sacked staff would be reinstated for the benefit of the students, the system, and the progress of the state.
