The Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro had condemned the sack of Oche and other heads of tertiary institutions in the state by Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The Idoma Intellectual Forum (IIF) has called on Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State to vindicate himself from allegations of ethnic favouritism by appointing an Idoma man as the substantive Rector of the Benue State polytechnic.
Nathaniel Oche, who was appointed rector of the institution on May 25, 2023, for a five-year tenure was recently removed from office by the present administration.
The Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro had condemned the sack of Oche and other heads of tertiary institutions in the state by Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo chapter, and the Concerned Idoma Senior Staff Association of the institution have urged Governor Hyacinth Alia to reverse the removal of Nathaniel Oche as the rector of the polytechnic.
The Idoma Intellectual Forum (IIF) has also called on the governor to douse the palpable tension in the Benue State Polytechnic community and abort the growing acrimony, cautious distrust and ill feelings among staffs of polytechnic by appointing a substantive rector for the school immediately.
The group made this known on Friday in a statement issued and signed by its National Secretary, Dr. Sunday Ochigbo and made available in Abuja.
The group emphasised that he decision of the governor to sack all heads of the state-owned higher institutions was not out of place, so long as it was targeted towards bringing on board more qualified and competent hands that would implement critical reforms in the educational sector.
IIF said "As a group of intellectuals we subscribe to the vision and commitment of the Governor Alia's administration to overhaul, rejig and reform the educational sector in Benue State for optimal and excellent output; a situation that prompted the sack of all heads of Benue State owned higher institutions recently, including the Rector of Benue Polytechnic, Ugbokolo to pave way for more qualified persons, experts and competent hands to come on board and implement critical reforms in the state education sector.
"What bewildered us now is the long period it has taken to fill up the vacancy occasioned by the sack of the heads of the higher institutions, especially Benue Polytechnic, Ugbokolo.
"Almost immediately after the sack, a substantive Provost for the Benue State College of Education, Oju was appointed and earlier today, a substantive Rector for the Alfred Akawe Torkula Polytechnic, Makurdi was also appointed. We now wonder why the process of appointing a substantive Rector for Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo is been delayed or taken more time than necessary, they questioned.
"Already, there is a serious agitation and protest by the host community of the school that their son; Dr. Nath Oche who happended to be the first indigenous rector of the school was unjustly sacked after just about 6 months in office.
"Crisis is brewing. The host community; ugbokolo is really hurt and aggrieved about the sack of their son from the office of rector and their youth may soon storm the street to protest. The only diplomatic way to calm fraying nerves and pacify the entire host community now is to quickly appoint a fellow Idoma person as replacement for the sacked Rector.
"Presently, the composition of the management team of the Benue Poly is unpleasant to the mind of the Idoma people and abnormal, and completely against state character. A situation where the acting rector of the polytecnic is a Tiv man, Bursar is a Tiv man, Registrar is a Tiv man, Director of works is a Tiv man, and every other critical management position is being hijacked by our Tiv brothers in an institution located in Idoma Land is unacceptable.
"This can never happen in institutions such as Benue State University, Makurdi, College of Education, Katsina-Ala, College of Agriculture, Yandev and even the Federal Government owned University of Agriculture, Makurdi and Federal Polytechnic, Wanune that are all located in Tiv land and we won't accept it in Benpoly that is located in Idoma Land.
"It is unjust, abnormal, unfair and completely against the reflection of state character in government institutions as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria as amended.
"A similar scenario played out during the Gov. Ortom regime when a Tiv man was appointed to serve as "Acting Rector" of Benue Polytecnic, Ugbokolo for over 2 years before the immediate past Rector; Dr. Nath Oche was appointed as substantive Rector at the tail end of Gov. Ortom's tenure.
"Now, under Gov. Alia's administration, an Idoma man has been sacked as Rector again and a Tiv man is now serving as "Acting Rector" till God knows when."
"The Idoma Intellectual Forum (IIF) frowned at this grand plot to continue to marginalise and shortchange the Idoma people in every sector of Benue State, and even in a State owned Polytechnic located in Idoma land.
"We will not accept that and we urge the governor to appoint an Idoma Man as substantive Rector for Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo now," the statement added.
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