Ijaw Youth Council Fingers Minister Of State, Education, In Stalemate Over Rector’s Appointment

By Ayodele Oni

Ijaw Youths Council, (IYC) has accused the Minister of State, Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba of meddling in the appointment of a substantive Rector for the Federal Polytechnic, Ekeowe, Bayelsa state.

The youths, from the nine States of the Niger Delta region appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Minister to order to avoid crisis.

IYC was of the view that the emergence of Dr. Iwekumo Wanton as the Rector of the oil and gas institution was transparent and devoid of any manipulation.

According to the Ijaw Youths, despite the emergence of Dr.  Wanton through a selection process that was certified free, fair and transparent, the Minister is trying to delay his appointment four months after the selection process has been completed.

In a statement by IYC in Yenagoa, signed by its National Spokesman, Mr Ebilade Ekerefe, it said the delay in the appointment of a substantive Rector for the institution despite the authentication of the selection process by the Federal Character Commission and the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, was political, sectional and targeted at the indigenes of the region.

“The IYC frown at the sudden interruption in the process as a deliberate attempt by adversaries of the ijaw people to further deprive the ijaw nation of the service of one of its first breed, who is committed in moving the institution forward and competing actively in the academic space.

“We want to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Minister of State for Education to order and should immediately direct the confirmation of Dr. Iwekumo Wanton as the substantive Rector of the Institution.

“We warn that any plan to experiment with the destiny of the ijaw people is a joke taken too far, and will be fully resisted.”

Ebilade pointed out that the position of Ijaw Youths on the emergence of Dr. Wanton is based on his performance in the last three months as the Acting Rector of the Institution which has given stakeholders the hope of a new dawn in the institution.

“He is a young and brilliant administrator that understands the geographical terrain, culture, tradition as well as the struggle and aspiration of the ijaw people.

“It is our conviction that the President fully appreciates the unique peculiarities of the area, and that the location of the institution in a rural, coastal community of Ekeowe requires that any individual appointed to oversee the affairs of the Polytechnic must be thoroughly conversant with the terrain and environment challenges.

“One of the reasons in advancing our support for his appointment as substantive Rector is the fact that he  resides fully in the polytechnic campus.

“By this, he has effectively mobilized his management team and all members of staff to fully operate on the campus. This is against the practice of overseeing the affairs of the Institution from Yenagoa as it was in the past.”