By Jethro Ibileke
Lecturers of Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, were on Thursday, barred by police operatives from gaining access into the institution’s premises to conduct the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, (ASUP) Edo State chapter’s election.
The incident caused a mild drama, as the angry lecturers decided to conduct their election outside the gates of the installation.
The gates were however opened to them, following intervention by some top management staff of the institution.
In his post-election speech, the newly elected chairman of ASUP, Usen Poly chapter, Mr. Paul Aziegbemhin, said the shutdown of the school gates against the lecturers was uncalled for.
“According to the law, you must have a Governing Council in place in a tertiary institution in Nigeria.
“There is nowhere that the visioners of the Polytechnic, even in the university sector, actually has it in mind that somebody act as a sole administrator at the tertiary institution.
“You saw what happened today. Somebody sending the policemen to barricade the gates, preventing lecturers from gaining access, that is one of the signs of sole administrator and a dictator,” Aziegbemhin said.