ANOTHER crisis has rocked the Federal University Lokoja, as the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Angela Miri, is alleged to have involved in recruiting workers who are mostly indigene of plateau state without following due process.
A group of protesters from Lokoja, the host community, led by the Council Administrator, Dan Asabe alleged that out of the three hundred employment letters issued out by the University, non was allocated to indigenes, preference was given to non indigenes with the ability to pay.
The group spokesperson lamented a situation where a House of Representative Member, Representing a constituency in plateau state, paraded sixteen employment letters he secured for his constituents, yet Lokoja Kogi Federal Constituency, where the university is domiciled could not boost of a single employment.
He said the most painful part of the whole scenario was, given the secular nature of the country, preached by the so called secularist, the Vice Chancellor appointments was one-sided and lack transparency and opaque in outlook.
Also speaking to newsmen, the Spokeman, Musa Danladi Umar, lamented the denial of indigenes owing to their inability to pay the alleged stated sum, said the Vice Chancellor, must go.
The protesters holding placards with various inscriptions like , No to sale of employment; Is it a sin that FUL is located in Kogi; PMB Come to our rescue, Miri Must Go, call for the the following of due process in the employment.
As at time of press, security men from the University refused the immediate community, Adankolo Elders forum access to meet the VC for explanations, while media men were disallowed into the university premises.
Though the Administrator of Lokoja local government council who led the management of the council and community leaders to ascertain the sale of employment was allowed to meet with the VC, he was kept into the waiting room of the reception on end without attention, an action that infuriated the protesters.
Also speaking the Coalition of Group Ebira Youth in Lokoja on said that job opportunities meant for indigenes of the state had been hijacked by a lawmaker from Plateau state.
Briefing newsmen on the state of the nation, as it affected the State, the spokesman of the group, Abdulazeez Omeiza, lamented that Kogites were being denied employment opportunities in their own state.
According to him, the vacant positions available in the Federal University Lokoja, as guaranteed by the local content clause of the Federal character provision in the Constitution, had been surrendered to one Hon Haruna Maitala Rep Member Jos North/Bassa federal constituency seat with 33 slots in the ongoing recruitment exercises in Federal University Lokoja, as a result of the negligence of the lawmakers from Kogi state and the elite, who pose as political leaders of the state, the group therefore calls on the vice chancellor to consider the hosting community as it is one of the responsibilities of the institution following the federal character commission’ policy;
“Whereas, the local content clause stipulates that all levels 01 to 06 positions in every government establishments must go to indigenes of the host communities , the reverse is the case,’’ Suleiman said.
