The Vice Chancellor of the Sokoto state University, Professor Muhammad Bello Yarima, has alleged political undertone over the recent protest conducted by the university joint unions.
Yarima told the newsmen on Friday that the unions had failed to adhere to due process on the removal of the university’s bursar, who was duly appointed by the state government before assuming office.
It was recalls that the joint workers union of SSU had staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday, demanding the vice-chancellor to remove the institution’s bursar who was reportedly due for retirement.
Yarima said the bursar was posted to SSU in the past three years from the state civil service through a letter from Government House, arguing that the workers ought to have protested then.
”The bursar was appointed before I became vice-chancellor. I don’t have the power to remove him based on the letter that appointed him, the unions ought to forward their complaints to state government directly not protesting to the vice-chancellor”s office.
” Governor Ahmad Aliyu, who is the varsity’s visitor has a listening ear, because he had settled about N700 million outstanding payment of visiting and sabbatical lecturers within six days, previously demanded by the union.
” I suspected sabotage, hypocrisy and foul play in the protest aim at undermining the management, because I duly replied their letter and approached them for understanding and the resolution of the issue,” Yarima said.
He enjoined the group of intellectuals to respect themselves and not to become political tools on a mission to satisfy the interests of some individuals or groups in the state.
The vice-chancellor lamented that carrying placards on the streets was not expected in an academic environment.
He said, “This is because they are expected to conduct research on solving problems, rather escalating issues that can easily been resolved with short period.
He added that the visitor, who is the governor and overseer of the varsity had settled Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and outstanding payment of promotion arrears hitherto owed the workers, which amounted to about N600 million.”
According to him, the governor had expressed readiness to implement the FG-ASUU agreement, saying,” a committee is working to harmonise all the workers demands as a demonstration of his concern to education sector.”
