Leadership (Abuja)
Abdulaziz A. Abdulaziz
8 November 2009
Kano — Barely three weeks after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off its four-month old industrial action, students of the Kano State University of Science and Technology (KUST) Wudil have raised an alarm over an imminent strike by the university's chapter of ASUU.
The students, who sent a Save Our Souls (SOS) message to Kano State government, said the action of the union was instigated by the refusal of top university authorities to install the recently appointed vice chancellor of the institution. Considering that the university reopened only a week ago, they said, there was need for intervention to avoid another hindrance to their academic activities. The deadline given by the lecturers would end today . LEADERSHIP learnt that the lecturers were planning to proceed on an indefinite strike to protest the continued stay in office of the acting vice chancellor of the university, Dr. M. I. Abdu despite the appointment of Prof. Ibrahim Garba from the Ahmadu Bello University as the substantive vice chancellor. Abdu was appointed acting vice chancellor following the retirement of Prof. Ibrahim Shehu Diso in December last year.
The incumbent acting vice chancellor who was a deputy VC was asked to act before the appointment of a substantive VC. However, our correspondent gathered that in an attempt to constitute the new governing council for the university, they embarked on a hunt for a competent person to fill the vacancy. The search narrowed down on Prof. Ibrahim Garba, a Kano indigene teaching at ABU. The council confirmed him for the position at its meeting on September 24, 2009. However, the newly appointed VC was yet to be installed, an action that spurred the lecturers to protest the delay. In a statement obtained by LEADERSHIP in Kano, signed by the President of the Students' Union Government (SUG) of the university, Haruna Mohammad Shuwaki, the students expressed apprehension of a possible strike.
According to them, the strike threat by the ASUU chapter of the university portends a hazy future for them. The statement calls for "commitment, sensible concern and special consideration" in solving the imbroglio. "With the opening of the university last week, academic activities are gradually picking up. However, the press release by the local branch of ASUU giving a dead line for the new vice chancellor to resume office or embark on another indefinite strike portends a serious and grave threat to the students' academic pursuit."
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D said event is sad but d vc does not want to leave because of embezzellment.D s.u.g president is being threaten and will likely be expelled because of saying the truth.The State has done it best in terms of money spent.The lecturer ar there fighting eachother for relevance.