ThankGod EMEH
The members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri Chapter, have dissociated themselves from the planned industrial action, hate speeches, and “Pull Her Down Politics” of ASUP National body against the 9th Substantive Rector of the institution, Dr. Basilia Igbokwe vis-a-vis her emergence as Rector, describing the petitions and inactions as mischievous and self-serving.
Solidarity campaign
“The Congress resolved to disassociate themselves from the Industrial Action planned by ASUP National of which one of the reasons has to do with the selection and appointment of the 9th Substantive Rector of our institution. The Congress considers such a move as embarrassing and self-serving which does not have the blessings and endorsement of the chapter Congress”
“We urge the general public, and particularly the Honourable Minister of Education to disregard the petition authored by Mr. Shammah Kpanja and to support the new Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede in her efforts to restore the institution to its former glory. We say no to any form of industrial action that seeks to undermine the progress we have made. We stand in solidarity with Dr. Basilia Igbokwe and the entire management team of the institution”
ASUPNEK alongside the leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS among other union leaders in FEDPONEK in a recent protest in the institution registered their grievances against “the clandestine, destructive and
unprogressive activities of the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) led by Comrade Shamma Kpanja and Comrade Ezeibe as the immediate past National President against the appointment of Dr. Basilia Igbokwe as the 9th Substantive Rector of Federal Polytechnic Nekede”
Addressing pressmen shortly after the demonstration, the Dean of, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Anayo Uhiara stressed that the unholy activities and petitions of ASUP
The national body led by Comrade Kpanja and spearheaded by Comrade Ezeibe against the appointment of Dr. Basilia Igbokwe is “self-serving, misleading and mischievous as it lacks authorization of the chapter Congress to work with the national leadership of ASUP to write a petition against the process of selection and appointment of the Rector.
Dr. Uhiara, however, disclosed that the existence of a particular group known as “Like Minds” in the institution had been responsible for the sorry state of our FEDPONEK before the emergence of Dr. Igbokwe.
“This group, in the name of Like Minds, has been perpetuating nefarious activities, including employment racketeering, abuse of due process, management rascality, nepotism, etc. Their activities pushed our once prestigious institution into a debt profile running into billions of naira without commiserate infrastructural development, while all the once flourishing Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Sources were run- down”
“We must not allow them to hold us to ransom again. We need to liberate our institution from the strongholds of this group, hiding under the ASUP national body to breach the peace on campus and to petition against the seamless and transparent selection and appointment process of our new Rector”
The Dean added that the ASUP Nekede chapter chairman’s refusal to disassociate himself and the chapter from the ASUP National Executive Council (NEC) resolutions against the appointment of the Rector led to a vote of No Confidence on him by 5 members of his executive in the first instance, and the subsequent vote of No Confidence by the chapter Congress on the entire Chapter Executive Council (CEC) under the leadership of Engr. Stanley Nwadike.
“Consequent on the observed violation of the union’s grievance procedure and channels of communication, a vote of no confidence was earlier passed on Engr. Stanley Nwadike (Chapter chairman of ASUPNek) by 5 out of the 9 Members of the Chapter Executive Council in direct response to his refusal to write a disclaimer disassociating Himself and ASUPNek Chapter from the ASUP national leadership’s clandestine activities against the seamless, peaceful, and transparent selection and appointment processes of the 9th substantive rector of our institution. On the strength of this vote of No Confidence by the majority members of Chapter Executive Council and other identified Executive Rascality so
manifest in the management of the affairs of the Union, the congress of ASUPNek in their 3rd Quarter Congress held on the 30th of October, 2024 in unity passed a vote of no confidence in the entire Chapter Executive Council and directed the past Chairmen of ASUPNek chapter to Oversee the activities of the chapter pending resolution of the crisis”
Solidarity campaign
“We hoped that the measure taken by the Congress
members will cause the sacked ASUPNek chairman, Engr Stanley NWADIKE, and his cohorts to have a sober reflection on their activities and the resultant effects on him, our chapter, the institution, and the ASUP national as a body, they chose to hide under the support of ASUP National leadership to disrespect the Rector of our institution, disrespect their senior colleagues in the institution and those who have held leadership positions in the Union, and perhaps contributes more money as check off dues by the virtue of the ASUP constitution. For the sake of emphasis, it is most disappointing that Engr. Stanley Nwadike and the National leadership of ASUP referred to their colleagues and members, former Chairmen of ASUPNek, and most Deans and Directors in the institution- as mobs and renegades. This is most saddening and must be condemned by all well-meaning general public. We must note, and very importantly too, that in unionism, the power is at the base- it lies with the Congress who freely gave the mandate to a few of their members to lead them. At any point Congress feels that the mandate given to these few persons to lead them is being used against their interests and well-being, it can be withdrawn
irrespective of whatever the Constitution says. This decision to sack the chapter Executive Council of ASUPNek and to disassociate with all activities of the ASUP national leadership against the collective interest of Academic Staff members in this institution is a clear demonstration of the fact that the power of the Union lies with the Congress”
In the foregoing, the Congress reversed the renaming of the ASUPNek
Solidarity Complex to Anderson Ezeibe Solidarity Complex; noting that the idea of the complex was initiated by past Chairmen and the completion and its
Continuous improvement were done by other past Chairmen besides Mr.
Ezeibe.