A lecturer at the Department of Ceramics and Glass Technology,
Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Mr. Victor Koreyo, has declared
his intention to renounce his Nigerian citizenship for what he
called ‘social injustice.’
Koreyo in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, made available
to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, said he was demoted for a
period of eight years by the management of the institution and
urged the President to endorse his request.
NAN discovered that a directive was given by the Federal
Government in 2007, asking all lecturers to produce additional
qualification relevant to the job they do.
It was gathered that the 7th Governing Council of the
institution gave Koreyo two years to produce a foreign
institution-issued master’s degree in Ceramic Science and
Engineering or he would be dismissed from service.
Koreyo, from Nasarawa State, said the management of the
polytechnic refused to communicate the information to him in
writing.
He alleged that since 2010 till date, the institution had
refused to approve his application for staff development
opportunity, allegedly because the Igbo constituted principal
officers in the school.
He also said that several communications to the institution
variously from the Head of Service of the Federation, Attorney
General of the Federation, Servicom and a host of others, on the
issue was in his favour for reinstatement.
Koreyo also accused the ministry of education of allegedly
writing a counter-directive letter to the rector on the issue.
According to him, this is social injustice that is not in line
with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I love to continue as citizen of this great nation on earth.
But since I do not have the financial power or connection to
challenge the rector to obey the Federal Government’s directives in
my favour, I decided to take this peaceful action.
“I have decided that the renunciation of my citizenship by birth
will be the best way to peacefully end my quest for social justice
at the ministry of education and finally resign from Federal Public
Service of Nigeria,” he said.
However, a staff of the ministry of education told NAN, on
condition of anonymity, that the ministry was already looking into
the matter.
According to him, the matter is also before the newly
constituted council of the institution.
He urged Koreyo to be patient, as the new council would resolve
the problem.
“I just got to know that the new council was already handling
the matter and it is a national issue.
“The Federal Government has constituted a body to look into this
problem because it is a general problem and not peculiar to
him.
“A directive was given to some staff to go and acquire more
knowledge and those that brought their master’s degrees in relevant
disciplines were upgraded.
“But in his own case, where he got his master’s is not relevant
and is not in line as at that time.
“I want to say that the matter is before the new council, so he
should exercise patient,” the ministry source told NAN.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic,
Uwana in Afikpo noted that the decision of the institution was in
compliance with the directive of the National Board for Technical
Education.
A former chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics,
Akanu Ibiam Federal polytechnic, Uwana chapter, Dr. Edmond Oyeneho,
told NAN in Afikpo that the institution was acting on
instruction.
According to him, NBTE in 2007 introduced a policy aimed at
ending the dichotomy between polytechnic and university education
in Nigeria.
He said the policy, which upgraded the course content of
polytechnic education to be at par with university education, also
mandated lecturers in polytechnics without Master’s degrees in
their core areas to upgrade.
He explained that the policy took about three years before its
implementation started across Polytechnics in Nigeria.
He noted that many lecturers in the polytechnic system, who had
fallen short of the new requirements had to enroll for either
Master in Science or Master in Arts degrees programmes in their
core areas.
“At the expiration of the three years grace period all
Polytechnics in Nigeria including Uwana implemented the policy by
demoting all lecturers in the system without Master’s in their core
areas to lecturer 1.
“Those who went and remedied their situation came back and were
reinstated to their former positions.
“Koreyo was therefore in line with the policy demoted from the
senior lecturer position he previously occupied to lecturer 1
because of his failure to upgrade his situation.
“He is a lecturer in the department of Ceramics and Glass
Geology but he went to Federal University of Technology, Owerri
(FUTO), to do a Master degree programme in Management Project and
was awarded Master Business Administration (MBA).
“The academic programme did not fulfill the NBTE requirement
because MBA is a professional programme, while Master of Science
(M.Sc) is an academic qualification required to teach in
Polytechnics and universities, ” Oyeneho said.
Oyeneho, a senior lecturer in the Department of Public
Administration and Director, Internally Generated Revenue in the
institution, criticised Koreyo’s threat to denounce his Nigerian
citizenship.
He said that the institution would not be blackmailed and forced
to reinstate him to his former position in disregard to existing
policy direction.
“He is not alone in the situation and it will be a disobedience
to existing NBTE policy to isolate him for preferential
treatment.
“The MSc programme was sponsored by TETFUND with N5m study grant
and affected lecturers received their full monthly salary
throughout the duration of the academic programme,” he added.
(NAN)
A lecturer at the Department of Ceramics and Glass Technology,
Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Mr. Victor Koreyo, has declared
his intention to renounce his Nigerian citizenship for what he
called ‘social injustice.’
Koreyo in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, made available
to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, said he was demoted for a
period of eight years by the management of the institution and
urged the President to endorse his request.
NAN discovered that a directive was given by the Federal
Government in 2007, asking all lecturers to produce additional
qualification relevant to the job they do.
It was gathered that the 7th Governing Council of the
institution gave Koreyo two years to produce a foreign
institution-issued master’s degree in Ceramic Science and
Engineering or he would be dismissed from service.
Koreyo, from Nasarawa State, said the management of the
polytechnic refused to communicate the information to him in
writing.
He alleged that since 2010 till date, the institution had
refused to approve his application for staff development
opportunity, allegedly because the Igbo constituted principal
officers in the school.
He also said that several communications to the institution
variously from the Head of Service of the Federation, Attorney
General of the Federation, Servicom and a host of others, on the
issue was in his favour for reinstatement.
Koreyo also accused the ministry of education of allegedly
writing a counter-directive letter to the rector on the issue.
According to him, this is social injustice that is not in line
with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I love to continue as citizen of this great nation on earth.
But since I do not have the financial power or connection to
challenge the rector to obey the Federal Government’s directives in
my favour, I decided to take this peaceful action.
“I have decided that the renunciation of my citizenship by birth
will be the best way to peacefully end my quest for social justice
at the ministry of education and finally resign from Federal Public
Service of Nigeria,” he said.
However, a staff of the ministry of education told NAN, on
condition of anonymity, that the ministry was already looking into
the matter.
According to him, the matter is also before the newly
constituted council of the institution.
He urged Koreyo to be patient, as the new council would resolve
the problem.
“I just got to know that the new council was already handling
the matter and it is a national issue.
“The Federal Government has constituted a body to look into this
problem because it is a general problem and not peculiar to
him.
“A directive was given to some staff to go and acquire more
knowledge and those that brought their master’s degrees in relevant
disciplines were upgraded.
“But in his own case, where he got his master’s is not relevant
and is not in line as at that time.
“I want to say that the matter is before the new council, so he
should exercise patient,” the ministry source told NAN.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic,
Uwana in Afikpo noted that the decision of the institution was in
compliance with the directive of the National Board for Technical
Education.
A former chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics,
Akanu Ibiam Federal polytechnic, Uwana chapter, Dr. Edmond Oyeneho,
told NAN in Afikpo that the institution was acting on
instruction.
According to him, NBTE in 2007 introduced a policy aimed at
ending the dichotomy between polytechnic and university education
in Nigeria.
He said the policy, which upgraded the course content of
polytechnic education to be at par with university education, also
mandated lecturers in polytechnics without Master’s degrees in
their core areas to upgrade.
He explained that the policy took about three years before its
implementation started across Polytechnics in Nigeria.
He noted that many lecturers in the polytechnic system, who had
fallen short of the new requirements had to enroll for either
Master in Science or Master in Arts degrees programmes in their
core areas.
“At the expiration of the three years grace period all
Polytechnics in Nigeria including Uwana implemented the policy by
demoting all lecturers in the system without Master’s in their core
areas to lecturer 1.
“Those who went and remedied their situation came back and were
reinstated to their former positions.
“Koreyo was therefore in line with the policy demoted from the
senior lecturer position he previously occupied to lecturer 1
because of his failure to upgrade his situation.
“He is a lecturer in the department of Ceramics and Glass
Geology but he went to Federal University of Technology, Owerri
(FUTO), to do a Master degree programme in Management Project and
was awarded Master Business Administration (MBA).
“The academic programme did not fulfill the NBTE requirement
because MBA is a professional programme, while Master of Science
(M.Sc) is an academic qualification required to teach in
Polytechnics and universities, ” Oyeneho said.
Oyeneho, a senior lecturer in the Department of Public
Administration and Director, Internally Generated Revenue in the
institution, criticised Koreyo’s threat to denounce his Nigerian
citizenship.
He said that the institution would not be blackmailed and forced
to reinstate him to his former position in disregard to existing
policy direction.
“He is not alone in the situation and it will be a disobedience
to existing NBTE policy to isolate him for preferential
treatment.
“The MSc programme was sponsored by TETFUND with N5m study grant
and affected lecturers received their full monthly salary
throughout the duration of the academic programme,” he added.
(NAN)
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