Group Urges Minister To Probe FCE Obudu Provost’s Suspension

From Ene Asuquo,Calabar 

A non-governmental organization operating under the aegis of Rescue Support Initiative (RSI) has appealed to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, to probe the  three-months suspension of the Provost of Federal College of Education (FCE) Obudu, Richard Utubaku, alleging procedural breach in his suspension.

Country director for the group,  Ayie Okpa, made the appeal while reacting to the provost’s suspension in an interactive session yesterday in Calabar.

The group’s Country Director, Ayie Okpah, alleged that  suspension of the provost by Governing Council was marred by procedural breaches and unfair treatment.

According to Okpah, the Governing Council’s decision to suspend Utubaku without following due process raises questions about the legitimacy of the action. 

“We are not claiming that the embattled provost is a saint who cannot be faulted or too important to be suspended,what we are saying is that there was procedural breach in his suspension”.  The group maintained.

Specifically, the group pointed out that Utubaku was served a query two days after his suspension, which they argue is a violation of his right to fair hearing as enshrined in Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

The suspension was reportedly over allegations of auctioning unserviceable vehicles without due process.

 The group stated that Utubaku was slammed with suspension  order despite his claims that he followed proper procedures. 

The RSI believes that the suspension may have been premeditated, given that Utubaku was not given the opportunity to appear before a panel or receive a query before his suspension.

The group has urged the Minister to investigate the matter, ensure due process is followed, and protect Utubaku’s rights. 

They argue that a probe may determine whether the suspension was justified and help address the perceived injustice