Asuquo Cletus
Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, Cross River State, have staged a peaceful protest to the Governor’s Office in Calabar over an alleged move to appoint a non-indigene as rector of the institution.
The students, who carried placards with inscriptions such as “Respect Catchment Area Policy,” “No to Non-Indigene Rector,” “Uphold Local Content in UGEP,” and “Our Indigene Deserves the Rector Position,” said the protest was aimed at drawing the attention of both the Federal and Cross River State governments to what they described as a deviation from the established rector selection process.
Speaking during the protest on Thursday, a student leader, Stephen Etem, said the Federal Government had put in place a governing council for the institution, chaired by a former senator from Cross River State, Florence Ita Giwa, with the mandate to conduct the rectorial selection exercise.
Etem explained that the process, which began last year, produced a Cross River indigene who reportedly emerged as the highest-scoring candidate during the screening and was subsequently recommended by the governing council.
He alleged that information reaching the students indicated that the name of the successful candidate, which was said to have been forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Education, might be substituted.
“Our concern is that an indigene of Cross River State emerged first in the screening exercise, yet there are indications that his name may be replaced. This goes against the principles of local content and the catchment area policy,” he said.
The students called on the Federal Government and relevant authorities to intervene to ensure that the recommendation of the governing council was upheld, warning that peace in the institution could be threatened if the process was altered.
Responding on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Intelligence, Goddie Archibong Akpama, appealed to the students to remain calm and ensure that their protest remained peaceful.
Akpama noted that the governor was away on national assignments but assured the protesters that their concerns would be communicated to him.
He advised the students to put their grievances in writing and channel same through the appropriate authorities, including the Commissioner for Education, stressing the need to avoid inflammatory language.
“The issue of catchment area and local content should be clearly stated in your petition. Avoid any language that could incite violence. Your voices will be heard,” Akpama said.
Akpama also encouraged the students to engage constructively with institutional authorities, noting that sustained dialogue would better protect the academic environment and prevent disruption of learning activities, while assuring them that the state government would monitor developments and work with relevant federal agencies to ensure stability in the institution.
