The Enugu State University of Science and Technology has fired 153 lecturers from the school.
The sack storm which hit various departments in the university also affected a professor and a Reader.
A copy of their sack letter, which was dated October 23, 2015, and signed by the University Registrar, Leonard Khama, was made available to reporters in Enugu on Monday.
The letter reads, “I am directed to inform you and you are hereby informed that the University is presently not positioned to employ you. You should, therefore, handover any university property in your possession to the Head of Department. If, however, your services are required in the future by the University, you will be informed accordingly.”
It was not clear why the lecturers were shown the exit door.
But informed sources blamed the development on the manner of the employment of the affected persons. it was learnt that the 153 sacked lecturers were recruited in February this year at the tail end of the immediate past administration of Professor Cyprian Onyeji as Vice Chancellor.
It was learnt that the none of the effected lecturers received pay from the date of their employment dated February 27 till their disengagement on October 23.
Ït all boils down to Nigerian system. Imagine a departing officer packing the university with all manner of lecturers when you know you were in the twilight of your tenure. Besides, this is university which struggles to pay salaries’, a non-academic staff of the university said. The staffer who spoke with our correspondent in confidence said that while he sympathise with the affected persons, he praised the management of the institution for taking the bull by the horn.
But another source explained that the former vice chancellor embarked on the recruitment based on the approval of the state government.
Another source however said that their appointment then was to basically enable the school make up for the acute shortfall of staff that had consistently denied it accreditation by the NUC, adding that, having used them to obtain accreditation; they were shown the way out.
