By: Joe Ephraim, Calabar
Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, Cross River State, on Thursday staged a peaceful protest to the Governor’s Office in Calabar over an alleged move to appoint a non-indigene as rector of the institution.
The protesters carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Respect Catchment Area Policy,” “No to Non-Indigene Rector,” and “Uphold Local Content in Ugep.” They said the protest was to draw the attention of the Federal Government and the Cross River State Government to what they described as a deviation from the established rectorial appointment process.
Addressing journalists during the protest, a student leader, Stephen Etem, said a governing council constituted by the Federal Government and chaired by a former senator from Cross River State, Florence Ita Giwa, was mandated to conduct the rectorial selection exercise.
According to Etem, the selection process, which commenced last year, reportedly produced a Cross River indigene as the highest-scoring candidate during the screening, and the governing council subsequently recommended the candidate to the Federal Ministry of Education.
He, however, alleged that information available to the students suggested that the name of the recommended candidate might be substituted.
“Our concern is that an indigene of Cross River State emerged first in the screening exercise, yet there are indications that his name may be replaced. This goes against the principles of local content and the catchment area policy,” Etem said.
The students called on the Federal Government and relevant authorities to intervene to ensure that the governing council’s recommendation was upheld, warning that altering the process could threaten peace in the institution.
Responding on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Intelligence, Goddie Archibong Akpama, appealed to the students to remain calm and conduct themselves peacefully.
Akpama said the governor was away on national assignment but assured the protesters that their concerns would be relayed to him. He advised the students to formally document their grievances and submit them through appropriate channels, including the Commissioner for Education.
“The issue of catchment area and local content should be clearly stated in your petition. Avoid any language that could incite violence. Your voices will be heard,” Akpama said.
He also urged the students to engage constructively with institutional authorities, stressing that sustained dialogue was necessary to maintain stability and prevent disruption of academic activities, while assuring them that the state government would monitor the situation and liaise with relevant federal agencies.
