ESUT Students Panic over Accreditation Withdrawal

The students of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT are jittery over alleged loss of accreditation of several departments following the institution’s disengagement of about 153 of its lecturers.

According to reports, ESUT management labelled the recruitment of the 153 lecturers as an "academic fraud," even as the affected university lecturers had lamented that they were sacked by ESUT authorities shortly after using them to scale the last accreditation exercise of some of its faculties/departments.

The Director of Information and Public Relations of the NUC, Mallam Ibrahim Yakassai, who confirmed the withdrawal of the accreditation of faculties/departments earlier given to ESUT authorities said that the NUC under the Executive Secretary, Professor Julius Okojie frowned at a situation where some universities hired and sacked lecturers immediately after using them (lecturers) to get accreditation.

Malam Yakassai acknowledged that the Commission received several petitions from the dismissed lecturers from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.

He reiterated; "Following the series of petitions from the disengaged staff of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, the NUC on February 12, 2016, withdrew accreditation of Mass Communication, Engineering, Psychology and some other departments. The NUC cannot sit down and watch such an ugly development."

In a letter titled; ‘Save Our Souls’ and sent to NUC through their lawyer, B. N Ugwu, the affected lecturers had alleged: "Sometime in May 2015, the authorities of ESUT under the headship of Professor Cyprian Onyeji advertised and offered employment to about 153 eligible applicants who scaled through in the pre-employment interviews and screening to different departments and faculties of the university.

"Since our employment in May 2015, none of us had been paid salaries notwithstanding that we played our roles in teaching, setting examinations, invigilating, marking papers, supervision of projects and submission of the result.

"We can now realize that the essence of our employment was for the university to pass the 2015 NUC accreditation. It is sad that we have been dumped after being used for the accreditation exercise."

They further revealed that ESUT authorities backdated the letters to October 2015, they were delivered to them, and they proceeded to advertise for their replacement.

"We cry wolf and shudder at this level of intimidation, indiscriminate and unlawful sack/disengagement aimed at short-changing our dreams and aspirations. We are law abiding citizens of Nigeria.

"ESUT authorities are skimming presently to employ new staff/lecturers to fill our vacancies. The ESUT authorities sooner or later will approach the NUC to demand fresh accreditation visit to renew their respective department accreditation based on the purported new lecturers that the institution is plotting to recruit to our detriment.”

"We are confident that the Commission's whip is potent enough to caution, correct, guide and direct any erring university authority in the country. The change regime of President Muhammed Buhari is a legacy, most importantly as the government frowns against corruption, un-patriotism, and their likes", they noted.

However, the ESUT Director of Communication, Ossy Ugwuoti said he was not in the position to make any comments until he gets approval from constituted authority.