The re-appointment of professor Barineme Beke Fakae by the Rivers State government is still raising dust, as the national body of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has taken its stance to embark on a nation- wide strike on Thursday, August 30, 2012, if professor Barineme Beke Fakae still continues as VC of RSUST.
“ASUU is hereby declaring Thursday 30th August 2012 as a day of solidarity with our members at Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST). On that day all ASUU members nation-wide shall abstain from work. Once again we call on all good people of Rivers State and Nigeria to prevail on governor Amaechi to restore the rule of law and the decency of the governance of RSUST,” the national president of ASUU, Dr. Nelson Isa said.
We gather that the national president of ASUU, Dr. Nelson Isa while giving orders on the said nation-wide solidarity with lecturers of (RSUST), Port Harcourt, at a national meeting of all the universities’ lecturers, accused governor Rotimi Amaechi of imposing Prof. Fakae on the institution (RSUST), as the acting vice chancellor,.
Meanwhile, a Human Rights Activist, Dr. Ken Asuwete, has stressed that the decision of the national body of ASUU showed that the Rivers State governor was wrong in his reappointment of Professor Fakae as RSUST Vice Chancellor.
Asuwete however called on the governor of Rivers State to reverse the appointment of Fakae in the overall interest of the higher institution in Rivers State. “By his action, all the institutions in the country will be shut-down, on Thursday. As far as we are concerned that is inimical to development,” Dr. Asuwete pointed out.
Meanwhile, a one-time Bori Poly-technic Rector, Professor Tokubiye Sokari said he was not competent to speak on the issue of the re-appointment of professor Fakae, adding that people see things on the opposite side, even as he had been a one time rector of Bori Poly.
Professor Sokari, further maintained that people say things for themselves, rather than comment on issues, while pointing out the brave and courageous speeches of Lt. Col. Felix Effiong at the end of the Nigerian/Biafran civil war and the approach Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe took when searching for the Ibos in Port Harcourt.
“Appointment of a tertiary officer is not the same as Permanent Secretary,” Prof. Sokari stressed, while counting the ordeals he went through during his appointment as the Rector of Bori polytechnic. #
By Bennett James
