VIDEO: FCET Crisis: Despite minister’s intervention, college workers threaten showdown ahead governing council’s visit

Despite signing resolutions reached at a reconciliatory meeting chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, on Thursday, some workers of the Federal College of Education, Technical (FCET), Akoka, Lagos, have threatened a showdown ahead of the visit by the school’s newly inaugurated governing council members.

The workers, who had engaged in prolonged protest since 27 May over the tenure of the Provost, Wahab Azeez, have locked up the provost’s office and those of other principal officers, denying them access to the offices for more than a month.

The workers had insisted that based on the newly amended Colleges of Education Establishment Act, the provost ought to have completed his five-year single term of office on 26 May.

But the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, in a clarification letter to the protesting workers, said based on the new act, it is legitimate for Mr Azeez to remain in office till 26 May 2027 “since he already commenced his second tenure of office before the new act was signed into law on 12 June.”

Signed by the representatives of the ministry, the newly inaugurated governing council of the college, and the staff unions, the resolutions included the reopening of the office of the college’s provost and his return to the office.

The workers were also ordered to stop the prolonged protest and governing council members were asked to meet with them on Tuesday, 9 July, to address the workers.

The Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, represented Mr Mamman to chair the meeting. Other ministry officials at the meeting included the Directors of Special Duties and his counterpart in the Department of Colleges of Education, Zubairu Abdullahi and Uchenna Uba, respectively.

However, in videos obtained by PREMIUM TIMES Sunday from sources who craved anonymity, the unionists were seen planning fresh confrontations against the return of the provost, with one of the unionists raining abuses on Mr Sununu, the minister of state.

Federal College of Education, Technical (FCET), Akoka, Lagos

Protest plans, threats

In one of the videos, the Deputy Registrar of the institution, Leye Olamiju, was seen addressing some of the protesters on what to expect at the upcoming meeting, emphasising the need to insist on their demands.

Mr Olamiju said the visiting governing council can visit because “they are critical stakeholders like us. But we are the ones working here and we built it.”

He said: “I might choose not to talk, but when you all react directly, the heat should be more than enough.

“Another important thing is that we will also go round to show the deplorable state of the college. Once that is done, I will personally take the chairman to UNILAG and YABATECH so that they can draw a small comparison and see whether we are doing well or not.

“Of the three, our school is the smallest in size, capacity, and students. If the college is like this with so much deployed it has a lot to tell about the state, and about who is leading this college.

“And the chairman and members of the council will take the information back.”

In another video, the protesters demonstrated “red cards” while a lecturer in the Fine and Applied Arts department, Kolade Ayeyemi, addressed them and made jest of the minister saying he “resembled the man we are fighting.”

“Even the physique and religion, they are more of the same thing. So that is why I am not surprised,” Mr Ayeyemi said.

Mr Kolade noted that “our mission is very simple. We endured a tyrannical government for five years and on the 27th of May we said enough is enough.

He said: “So what we want to do now is to tell them and all his cronies that his end has come.

“When a referee gives a red card to a player, the next thing is to wave. We are waving our red card to tell him it is over.”

“Message for members only”

When asked about the alleged incitement of workers against the governing council, the deputy registrar, Mr Olamiju, said the video “is actually for internal members about the outcome of the meeting in Abuja and not the position of the union.”

He, however, noted that the unions on the campus were set to meet to review the outcome of the meeting in Abuja.

He said: “Members are angry that they don’t want the resolution, that they no longer want the man and they are going to push that to the governing council.

“Today, they want to do a concurrent on that issue, so all the unions are meeting now in one hall.”

But on his part, Mr Ayeyemi said he could not speak on the phone when he was called by the newspapers. He said he was driving at the moment.

A text message sent to his telephone line was also not replied to as of the time of filing this report.

Other Abuja meeting resolutions

Apart from the reopening of the office of the provost and the upcoming council meeting, it was also resolved that the new council investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds reportedly approved for the college’s fencing.

The resolution also noted: “The Provost should be allowed to operate under the supervision of the Chairman of the Governing Council of the College whilst all staff seize to protest forthwith.”

“On the state of offices of chief lecturers, the college should take immediate measures to improve the condition or allow them to go back to their former offices.”

It also mandated the governing council to “address the issue regarding the appointment of the bursar of the institution.”

READ ALSO:FCET Crisis: Minister orders provost’s return to office as warring parties endorse resolutions

The resolution was signed by Mrs Uba on behalf of the ministry and the Chairman of the newly inaugurated governing council of the college, Olatunde Adenuga.

Others who signed the resolution were the chairpersons of the college’s branches of the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN), Augustin Nwachukwu, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Olasunkanmi Alonge and Caretaker Committee, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Ishola Lawal.