Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has approved the appointment of a former Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Shedrack Best, as the new Vice Chancellor of the state university located in the Bokkos Local Government Area of the state.
The appointment came barely 24 hours after the governor sacked the former VC, Prof. Bernard Matur and four other heads of the state-owned tertiary institutions.
The new VC’s appointment was contained in a statement dated February 7, 2024, and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau.
The statement noted that the governor also appointed four new heads for the state-owned tertiary institutions including the College of Education, Gindiri, with a former chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the University of Jos, Dr. Lazarus Maigoro, as the new Provost.
The statement read, “His Excellency, the Executive Governor Caleb Mutfwang has approved the appointment of the following heads of tertiary institutions in the state. They are Professor Shedrack, Vice Chancellor, Plateau State University, Bokkos; Dr. Clement Chairman, Rector, Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi; Associate Professor Lazarus Maigoro, Provost, College of Education, Gindiri; Dr. Jonathan Bulus, Provost, College of Health Technology, Zawan; and Dr. Markus Avong, Provost, College of Health Technology, Pankshin.”
The statement added that all the appointments were with immediate effect.
It urged the new appointees to swing into action by looking into the relationship between the management and staff as well as the sources of income and expenditure of the schools to reposition them for effective service delivery.
Meanwhile, the Butura host community of the Plateau State University has condemned the sacking of the institution’s former VC, Matur, describing the action of the governor as illegal and against the growth of the university.
In a statement issued on Thursday and jointly signed by Butura Youth President, Marshal Sule, and Secretary, Tabai Kawai, the host community insisted that the former VC had done nothing wrong to warrant his removal and called on the governor to reinstate him immediately
“For the sake of clarity and adherence to due process, it is imperative to reference the legal framework governing the removal of a Vice-Chancellor as stipulated in Section 3(8)-(11) of the Principal Act, duly amended. This provision vests the authority to remove the Vice-Chancellor in the Governing Council, subject to specific grounds such as gross misconduct or incapacity to fulfill the duties of the office.
“Importantly, the process outlined mandates a fair and transparent procedure, including the constitution of a Joint Committee of Council and Senate to investigate allegations and provide a platform for the accused to defend themselves. Any decision reached by the Council is subject to appeal to the Visitor, ensuring accountability and safeguarding the rights of all parties involved.
“None of these procedures were followed in removing Professor Matur as Vice Chancellor, and no reason was given except for what we have independently gathered to be connected to political differences,” the statement read.
It added that “this is in spite of the fact that the Butura nation overwhelmingly voted for the PDP in the elections that brought Barrister Mutfwang to power. In addition, the University is purely an academic institution governed by laws and professional experience not sentiments.
“After all, Professor Matur’s capacity in steering the University towards academic excellence and institutional growth, including fostering a harmonious relationship with the host community is not in doubt.”
