The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in the Rivers State College of Arts and Science (RIVCAS) has called on the state government to appoint a new rector for the institution following the expiration of tenure of the current rector, Dr. Hillary Wordu.
Making their position public in a media chat on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Chairman of ASUP in RIVCAS, Comrade Victor Osai, disclosed that the two-tenures of Dr. Wordu elapsed on August 26, 2014 and called on the authorities to appoint a substantive rector out of the three contestants that have been screened already.
The union insisted that the new rector should be a staff of the institution who understands the challenges and plight of the school.
It contended that picking a rector outside would contravene ASUP agreement and create bad blood in the system.
“Since the inception of the outgoing rector no single course in the school has received accreditation; the infrastructure is decaying yet millions of Naira has gone down the drain,” the union alleged.
Comrade Osai also accused the outgoing rector of not attending to the plight of staffers, maintaining that staff capacity building has gone down to zero during the administration’s tenure.
He warned of the consequences of retaining the outgoing rector, saying that “some of the courses accredited in 2002 are at the verge of being de-accredited; for the past seven years, no successful student union government elections has been conducted in this institution.”
Wondering why the outgoing rector decided to contest for a third term, the ASUP chairman related that Dr. Wordu was appointed on September 2008 and has completed his statutory two terms, pointing out that if he gets re-appointed then he would break the record in academic circles for running an institution for 10 years.
The RIVCAS ASUP helmsman lauded Governor Chibuike Amaechi for his achievements in the education sector, saying the institution has always enjoyed the funding and support of government, especially in the provision of road networks and employment of lecturers.
