The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo chapter, and the Concerned Idoma Senior Staff Association of the institution have urged Governor Hyacinth Alia to reverse the recent removal of Nathaniel Oche as the rector of the polytechnic.
DAILY POST reports that 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.
Addressing newsmen in Makurdi, the Chairman of ASUP Benue Polytechnic chapter, Comrade David Owuna, recalled how the institution was run in an acting capacity for 18 months contrary to the provisions of the law, before the appointment of Dr Oche, the first indigenous rector of the institution.
The union maintained that Oche had done well within the short period he headed the institution and had taken the right decisions and made appropriate appointments that had created industrial harmony in the institution hence the resolve of the union to call for the reversal of his sack.
On their part, the Concerned Idoma Senior Staff Association of the institution at the briefing through its chairman, Jude Eza, noted that the rector was appointed legally but “the termination of his appointment did not follow due process since he was not given a fair hearing in line with part XI, section 45 of the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo Law Cap 160 of Benue State, 2004.”
