That violence at Federal College of Education, Akoka

The crisis in the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, particularly the attack on the government team and destruction of properties, which led to the indefinite closure of the institution is a shameful advertisement of a culture of violence that should not be tolerated. It is lamentable that a disagreement over the tenure of office of the provost, Dr.Wahab Azeez, degenerated into violence, leading to a physical attack on members of a Federal Government delegation to resolve the matter. It shows the worrisome level to which the standards of behaviour in the academic environment have waned in the country. Why do we always associate protest with violence? This mentality should not be allowed to thrive.

Azeez was appointed provost in May 2019 for a four-year term of office. He was reappointed last year for another four-year term and resumed the second term on May 26. On June 12, 2023, an amended Federal Colleges of Education Act 2023, which stipulates a five-year single term for management officers of education colleges nationwide, came into effect, obviously after Azeez had started his journey into a second term of four years. While Azeez is saying the new law does not affect him, having started another tenure, the workers are saying his tenure has lapsed.

Following the provost’s claim, the workers, under the aegis of Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN), wrote a letter signed by its Chairman, Mr. Augustine Nwachukwu, and Secretary, Mr Kazeem Quadri to the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, seeking an interpretation of the Act, particularly in connection with the tenure of office of the provost.

The minister’s response which explained the contents of the new Act and the interpretation by the ministry’s legal department, reads in part: “The Act made further provisions to cover the appointments of those Provosts who have been appointed prior to the assent of the amended Act Section 13(7)(a)(b) and provides: If on the commencement of this section, a Provost appointed before the commencement of this Act has held office for: (a) Less than five (5) years, the Provost shall be deemed to be serving the five-year single term and shall not have the right for the renewal of his appointment for a further term of four (4) years; and (b) more than five (5) years and serving the second term of office, be deemed to be serving the last term of office without any further extension.”

The sections referenced provide two scenarios: One for those appointed before, and the other for those appointed after the Act came into force. “The second scenario which is the case at hand is where a Provost has completed the first tenure of four years and has been re-appointed for another four years when the amendment Act commences. He shall be deemed to be serving his last term of office of four years without further extension. The non-further extension in this case is that he cannot enjoy five years under the second tenure as enjoyed by the Provost in the first scenario. He will, therefore, complete the four-year term of the second tenure,” Mamman further clarified.

With the clarification by the minister, which is unambiguous, the matter ought to have been settled. Rather it escalated as the workers rejected the position of the government that amended the law and should know better how it affects the provost. What other explanation did the workers want to hear? Another question that should be asked is: how did the students get involved in the crisis? It was learnt that the workers instigated them against the provost. They joined their teachers and other staff to demand the removal of Azeez who was denied access to his office for months while leaders of the unions held protests on campus every week. Members of the Governing Council, led by the Chairman, Dr Adenuga Olatunde, who were to hold a meeting with the aggrieved parties could not do so because students and workers, teaching and non-teaching, insisted that Azeez should not step into the campus.

The matter became worse subsequently when the protesting workers, aided by the students, attacked a team set up by the minister to mediate and resolve the crisis. Then, a team of policemen came to the school and arrested 32 suspects. Spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin said the rioting workers and the students blocked all entrances to and out of the college as they attacked the government’s team and damaged more than five vehicles and other properties, including the provost’s official quarters.

While protest is a legitimate means of expressing grievances or complaints, it is criminal to perpetrate violence while doing so. It is the responsibility of every stakeholder to ensure the safety and durability of all assets, private or official, in the college. Often, there are complaints about infrastructure deficit, particularly in higher institutions in the country. To now destroy the few that are available is senseless and the culprits should be punished. The mentality of always associating protest with violence in the country is sad. If nobody would see this as undesirable, it is not supposed to be lecturers and students in higher institutions of learning.

Besides, colleges of education are part of institutions expected to produce graduates who are worthy in character and learning. What character was being inculcated in students who were manipulated to join a protest against the provost in a matter on which they ought to have maintained neutrality? Against their matriculation oath, they participated in the destruction of personal and official properties on campus. It is very disappointing.

The right to protest is not a licence for perpetrating criminal acts. Unfortunately, it is becoming rampant in the country. During the EndSARS protests in 2020, lives were lost, properties destroyed and shops looted in what ought to be peaceful rallies against police brutality. It is the same narrative in the protest against hardship in the country, with reports of violence in many states. It should be stopped.

Government should be encouraged to resolve the crisis in the college, and the task should be completed as soon as possible for academic activities to resume. There should be consequences for any established act of criminality during the protest to serve as a deterrent. Generally, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other relevant agencies and institutions should campaign against the unwholesome association of protest with violence in the country, particularly from students in institutions of higher learning who sought to know better. It is not good for the image of the country and Nigerians as a people.