IAUE VC says host community got more than fair share• Resolves dispute with Rumuolumeni community

The vice chancellor of the Rivers State government-owned Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE) has moved to douse the flames of crisis that erupted in the environment over employment slots.

He began by making it clear that the host community got more than a fair share. He however managed to get them to the peace table, thus restoring conducive environment for study and work.

Details:
It has been revealed that the host community of the Rivers State-owned university of education got 45 employment slots in the controversial employment exercise that has sparked protests.

Clarifying matters surrounding the protests, Prof Okechuku Onuchuku, vice chancellor of the university, explained that there were 1500 slots and that the Rumuolumeni community got 45 to themselves.

He was surprised that the community still staged protests, fearing that it could be the handiwork of those whose wards did not qualify.

The VC further explained that out of the 1500 vacancies available for employment in the institution, 1100 were earmarked for academic positions, and 400 were for non-teaching positions.

This explanation comes against the backdrop of a protest by some youths and women of Rumuolumeni at the IAUE’s main entrance early in the week, alleging marginalization of the host community in the employment exercise carried out at the institution.

Prof Onuchuku, while exchanging views with journalists, said, if the slots were distributed according to local government areas in the state, each LGA would have had 47 slots for teaching and 17 for non-teaching positions.
He said this was not the case since the exercise was done on merit and in compliance with employment law.

Prof Onuchuku pointed out that from the records of the employment exercise, Rumuolumeni alone, which is one ward in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, got 15 slots in the academic category and 30 in non-teaching, totalling 45 persons.

The professor of Economics further said that IAUE is a public educational institution owned by the Rivers State Government, and not by a private individual, thus the need to follow and obey all available rules and regulations governing it.

He expressed the view that a recruitment of such nature in an academic institution must be competitive in nature, particularly for the teaching category and other senior specialized personnel such as medical doctors, accountants, laboratory scientists, engineers, among others.

The vice chancellor further expressed appreciation for the efforts of stakeholders and others who have continued to support and promote the image of the institution.

Meanwhile, our reporter gathered that the Rumuolumeni monarch, King Chukwuemeka Victor Woji Okocha, an engineer and monarch of the community, who is known as Olumeni XII, and his council of chiefs, might not be in the know of the protest. A source said the council ‘did not send the group to protest’.

Rather, sources suggested that the protest might have been instigated by some influential members of the community whose candidates were not selected due to their inability to score the required grades during the recruitment process.