FG deploys policemen to federal universities

  

Inspector- General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar

The Federal Government has directed the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, to deploy policemen to all federal universities in the country  in its bid to ensure  resumption of academic activities in universities on or before December 4.

It was learnt that this development was disclosed  at  an emergency meeting   the Federal Government held  with  all vice-chancellors of federal universities at the National Universities Commission building in Abuja on Friday. The Acting Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, and the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof Julius Okojie, were also at the meeting.

Though Friday’s meeting was held behind closed door, a source at the meeting who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the press, said that the Federal Government directed the IG  to draft policemen to federal universities to prevent members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities from disturbing some of their members that might want to resume work in line with government’s directive.

The meeting also discussed other  modalities for calling off the bluff of ASUU whose members  have been on strike for over five months.

The Friday meeting began at 9am and lasted for two hours. Part of the meeting’s deliberations also centered on how to recruit new lecturers to fill the space of ASUU members who might refuse to obey government’s  directive. Also, the vice-chancellors were directed to call students back to campus on Sunday in preparation  for academic activities which should start on Monday.

Wike, had on Thursday  ordered  lecturers to resume duties on or before December 4 or face being sacked summarily by the Federal Government.

It was learnt that Okojie had already been mandated to start the process of recruiting new lecturers by placing vacancy adverts in international journals and media.

Also, the vice-chancellors were directed  to open registers in their institutions where ASUU members that resume work would sign so that those who failed to resume could be sacked. Read more