VCTasks RVHA On Governing Council’s Appointments

Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Prof. Blessing C. Didia, has urged the State House of Assembly to ensure that only those with experience are appointed into the Governing Council of the institution.
Prof. Didia, who stated this in his memorandum to the public hearing on the “Rivers State University of Science and Technology Bill, 2017” organised, by the “House committee on Education, said this is in cognisance of the important role of the Governing Council.
He explained that this was necessary because appointing the wrong persons will not only negatively affect the performance of the Governing Council, but will also unnecessarily increase the wage bill of the university, as all appointees will be paid allowances.
The Vice Chancellor, whose memorandum toed most of the lines of the Bill, also pointed out what he called an omission in the “First Schedule: Section “11 (2)”, which stipulates the functions of the Vice Chancellor.
“We have observed that the wordings in the Amendment Bill inadvertently omitted the Universally accepted clause in the functions of the Vice Chancellor.
“The original Law is: ‘Subject to section 6,7, and 15 of this law, the Vice Chancellor shall have the general function, in addition to any other function confened on him by this law or otherwise, of directing the activities of the University, and shall, to the exclusion of any other person or authority, be the Chief Executive and Academic Officer of the University, and ex-officio Chairman of the Senate”, he said.
This Section, he explained, “is normally framed as it is in all the University Laws”.
He noted that the phrase ‘to the exclusion of any other person or authority”, was removed in the amendment sent to the House, and pleaded that it be re-inserted.
Also making their presentation, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), RSUST branch, picked hole in “Section 28” of the Bill, which has to do with “special provision relating to pension of Professors”.
In their Memorandum presented by their Chairman, Comrade Azumah Cheta Ugochukwu, SSANU proposed that since the rank of Professor is equivalent to that of a Director, both of whom have their terminal point as CONTISS 15, the Directors should also be included in the special pension scheme.
On its part, the Student Union Government (SUG) of the university proposed the inclusion of a representative in the Governing Council of the school.

Sogbeba Dokubo