Fifty-two days after the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike directed the management of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) to reinstate lectuers of the university, who had been on strike for about three years, the directive is yet to be carried out to the letter.
Chairman of the RSUST chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Puyate, Suobere Tadaerigha revealed this in an exclusive interview with The Tide, midweek in his office.
Unlike the State High courts which were opened with immediate effect, following the same directive by the Governor during his inaugural speech on Democracy day, May 29, 2015, he said, that the reinstatement and restoration of all rights and privileges of the lectures were yet to be obeyed.
Dr. Puyate stated that the management of RSUST under the leadership of Professor Barimene Fakae has stalled genuine effort by the affected ASUU members to get their due as directed by the Governor.
He explained that following the revelation of the alleged submission of a fake list of lecturers who were on strike to the Governor and the subsequent alarm raised by ASUU over bloated figures of money, there had not been an opportunity for ASUU to meet with the Vice Chancellor to harminise the list.
According to Dr. Puyate, this was the circumstance that led to the ASUU taking what he called “Proactive step”, by seeking to meet with the VC.
“As far as we know, the VC has been dragging his feet. He has not actually implemented the directives of the Governor.
‘The main thing he has been asked to do, which is to recall, reinstate and restate all the rights been on strike, he has not done that. As I speak to you know, we have not earned one Kobo”, he said.
Reacting to this, and comments made over over-bloated figures, the VC explained that the members of ASUU who were sacked do not know the workings of the university.
“Those making these comments have never been examination officers, they don’t even know anything about the University.
The point is that they are even low down lecturers.
“The truth is this, which ever list that was submitted, Government does not pay into a central fund. It pays into the pocket of individuals.
“So, if some mistakes were observed, as it were, they could have come back to administration to say this is where the problem is and then we try to solve the matter.
“it is a complex matter. What exactly do they call the directive that we were given? The people were away from work, we are trying to see how to sort out the problem and then pressure is on us in the midst of every other thing we are doing”, the VC said.
Meanwhile, the Rivers state University of Science and technology (RSUST) Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has kicked against the proposed re-employment of the out-going Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Barimene Fakae, by the University, saying, it runs contrary to the rules and regulations of the University system in Nigeria.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Tide, Chairman of the RSUST Chapter of ASUU, Dr. Suobere Tadaerigha Puyate stated that as a sitting Vice Chancellor, Fakae cannot employ himself as a staff at the expiration of his tenure as VC in RSUST.
According to him, Fakae “has not fulfilled the condition (to be employed). It is  wrong because he has not followed the due process.
“if one has been appointed or hired by the government, …. He will always apply for what is called ‘leave of absence’ or secondment, which he will submit to his primary place of employment”, he said.
“If he is allowed, he will leave his office to the new position. After serving in the position, and if he wants to be retained as a staff at the end of his tenureship, he will have to go back to where he came from before applying to be a staff of the new place.
“the due process in a University is that his application will be sent to the ‘Appointment and Promotion Committee’, which will set up an interview panel for him, and he will be screened”, Puyate stated.
“If he is qualified, and satisfies the condition for employment or transfer of service, then he employed. For a sitting VC, he cannot succeed himself or employ himself”, the ASUU Chairman said.
On his part, Professor Fakae stated that there was nothing wrong with him being a staff at the expiration of his tenure as VC of RSUST as long as the Senate has approved his employment.
“I applied for a transfer of service to (Senate) Council, and Council approved. So, what is wrong with it?” Fakae retorted.
However, Puyate emphasised that Council, as stated by Fakae, is not vested with the responsibility of employment.
“What he (Fakae) is doing is tentamount to illegality because it is not Council that endorses one’s transfer of service, it is the Appointment and Promotion Committee (A&PC). When the Appointment and Promotion Committee has gone through its processes, it will pass it on to the registry,  then to the registrar, who will formerly issue him an appointment of transfer of service.
“All these have not been done, and I know that Council has not approved his transfer of service. So, he is not a staff of this university”, the ASUU boss added.

Sogbeba Dokubo