Ekiti: Workers Protest Delay In Appointing VC For Adeyemi College

By Ayodele Oni

Non implementation of an upgrade of Adeyemi College of Education, (ACE), Ondo to a university status has set the workers against the federal government.

The institution, an affiliate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) was upgraded to a university status early this year.

Even before its upgrade, ACE has been admitting students for degree programmes and issuing certificates bearing OAU logo and stamp.

Despite this, the institution is being headed by a Provost as a college of education saddled with issuance of National Certificate of Education, (NCE) certificates.

Workers of the institution, suspecting that there is a fraud in the upgrade on Tuesday took to the highway to protest delay in the implementation of some aspects of guidelines of the new status.

The workers under the eagis of non-technical Staff of Adeyemi College of Education, stalled vehicular movement along the Ore-Ondo highway to protest the continued delay.

The staff who are stationed in front of the institution’s gate, explained that they are protesting the delay of the Buhari-led federal government to appoint a Vice-Chancellor for the College turned University.

The protesters said since  January, when the college was upgraded to a university status, the federal government has not appointed a Vice Chancellor for the institution, which is still being headed by a Provost, hence, casting a doubt on the new status.

Investigation revealed that also affected by undue administrative procedure is the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, (FUOYE) that had its name change about four years ago to Adeyinka Adebayo University.

The name change was meant to immortalize a former military Governor of old western state, and father of the minister of industries, late Adeyinka Adebayo.

A university administrator, said  it is easy to upgrade or even change the name of a higher institution, but administrative procedure to effect the new status rests on the National Universities Commission, (NUC) and federal ministry of education.