8th September, 2012
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Despite the current strike by lecturers at Rivers State University, Governor Chibuike Amaechi has confirmed the appointment of Prof. Barineme Fakae as the substantive Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology,RSUST,Port Harcourt,from the initial acting capacity that has triggered a nationwide solidarity strike by the national body of Academic Staff Union of Universities,ASUU.
The confirmation of Prof. Fakae as substantive V C was contained in letter written by Mr. George Feyii,the Secretary to the State Secretary to the State Government,SSG,to Prof. Fakae.
In the letter,Governor Amaechi stated in clear terms that the government didn’t breach any law but followed due process in the appointment of Prof.Fakae. The letter recalled that before Fakae’s appointment in 2008, RSUST,had only Eight courses accredited by National University Commission(NUC) but in 2012,all the University courses have been fully accredited.The statement also said that the heat generated by Fakae’s appointment was deliberately skewed to misinform the public by those who want to cause crisis in the institution.
He said the tenure of Fakae brought sanity to the institution removing the underhand practices that impeded the academic growth.
The Governor restated his charge to ASUU which is on strike to go to court and challenge the state government on the appointment of Fakae,as the Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State Science and Technology,RSUST,rather than blackmailing with strike.
He reminded ASUU that the issue of Fakae’s appointment in 2008,was challenged in court but ASUU lost confirming that as the Visitor of the school,he followed due process.Amaechi had expressed anger in while reacting to the nationwide solidarity strike by national body of ASUU to the RSUST branch presently on strike against his administration.Governor Amaechi had lamented that despite that the lecturers in RSUST being the highest paid among all the national universities,lecturers under the aegis of ASUU have always blackmailed his government with strikes at every flimsy excuses.