The Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture (ASUCA) has strongly rejected the recent appointment of a university professor as Provost/CEO of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, calling the process irregular and a violation of agreed protocols.
In a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Jos, the Acting National President of ASUCA, Comrade Williams Manggoel, condemned the appointment, noting that it contradicts the eligibility criteria published in a national advertisement on November 15, 2024. The role, according to the advert, was specifically for qualified academic staff from Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCA) and National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs).
ASUCA described the move as a threat to the integrity of the system and a demoralizing act against long-serving professionals in the sector. “Appointing university professors to head agricultural colleges they are unfamiliar with is not only unfair but discouraging to career agricultural educators,” Manggoel stated.
The Union also criticized the recent advertisement for the Provost/CEO position at the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, which opens eligibility to associate professors — a shift ASUCA believes is another attempt to reintroduce university staff into the colleges’ leadership against prior agreements.
Additionally, ASUCA expressed frustration over the continued delay in releasing an updated Scheme of Service (SOS) and Condition of Service (COS) for federal colleges of agriculture, which has remained stagnant since 2004.
The Union is demanding the reversal of the Ibadan appointment, correction of the Vom advertisement, and evidence of progress on the long-awaited SOS/COS. “We will not allow the erosion of our system’s identity and integrity,” Manggoel concluded.
