By Abel Loenard
Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has inaugurated a six-man panel charged with the investigations into the causes of the recent industrial action embarked upon by members of the Joint Unions of Tertiary Institutions, at the College of Education, Akwanga.
Engineer Sule inaugurated the committee at a ceremony at the Government House, on Wednesday.
The Governor said it has become necessary to constitute and inaugurate the panel, as part of the determination of his administration to trace the root cause of the February 10 protest at the college which led to a break in academic activities.
Engineer Sule emphasized that the state government is committed to entrenching functional, assessible and affordable education for the citizens of the state, adding that explained why his administration has continued to take deliberate steps towards reinvigorating the sector, right from the primary school to the tertiary level.
While describing the incidence at the COE Akwanga as unacceptable and capable of impeding the effort to reposition the institution, as well as others.
“We are worried by this state of affairs, compounded by the obvious abuse and degradation of what was happening in the school, that we have decided to arrest the situation by the suspension of the governing council and management of the institution in order to restore sanity as well as guarantee industrial peace for the passing of knowledge and excellence in the institution,” Engineer Sule said.
He further explained that by inaugurating the panel, government is neither witch hunting any individual nor confirming anybody’s fault leading to the protest but that having trusted the competence, fairness and straightforwardness of members of the panel, it will come up with nothing other than the facts.
Accordingly, the investigative committee is to be guided by four terms of reference namely, to investigate the immediate and the remote cause or causes of the industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Unions of the Tertiary Institutions, carry out a thorough personnel audit of the college for the period 2015-2019 that was responsible for this, ascertain the internally generated revenue profile of the college for the same period and investigate any other matter incidental to the foregoing terms of reference.
The committee has four weeks within which to submit its report.
Responding on behalf of members of the newly inaugurated panel, Chairman of the committee, Barrister Hussaini Saleh Shat, thanked the Governor for deeming them fit to carry out the assignment.
The chairman assured Engineer Sule that members will carry out their duties diligently, without fear or favour, especially against the backdrop of the calibre of persons appointed into the committee.
Barrister Shat promised that members of the committee will not allow their personal interest interfere with their duty, stressing that the committee will give all concerned fair hearing and will come out with a comprehensive report.
Other members of the panel are, Mr. Tsovina Tanko David, Yarius G. Dagusa, Hajiya Amina Abdullahi, Mohammed Aliyu Mailafiya, who will serve as members, while Mrs. Comfort Ewuga, is the secretary of the panel.
It would be recalled that daybreaknews reports that Engineer Sule suspended the governing council of the COE Akwanga, pending the outcome of investigations.
The Governor equally approved for the provost of the college, bursar, as well as officer-in-charge of TETFUND, to proceed on compulsory leave.
