The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS of the Federal College of Veterinary and Medical Laboratory Technology, Vom, Jos, Plateau State, has called for the confirmation of the appointment of the Acting Provost of the institution, Dr. Echeonwu George Best, after coming out successful in the recently conducted screening.
Comrade Shehu Abubakar, the NANS Director in the campus in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja urged the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina to fast track the confirmation in order to put the institution on a sound footing. Saying the college has been left without a substantive provost since 2010.
According to them, an advertisement for the appointment of a Provost was placed in some national newspapers and applicants applied, after which some were shortlisted and invited for interviews that were successfully conducted.
The statement said the Agriculture Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) has recommended three candidates to the ministry for consideration in the appointment of a new provost, in the order of merit.
The letter read in part, “As stakeholders, we wish to express our apprehension here that, up till today, no practical steps have been taken toward the appointment of a substantive provost despite the result of the interview conducted and forwarded to the relevant authorities”.
NANS said, “This lack of coherent concern has created a pervasive leadership crisis, which has now stalled the college’s development, leading to breakdown in academic and institutional confidence.”
The groups also claimed that the acting provost of the college, Dr. Echeonwu George Best, has been in the saddle in acting capacity for the past four years without confirmation