CDHR, CACOL Call For Reinstatement Of Azeez As FCE Provost

The Campaign for Democracy and Human Rights (CDHR) and the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) have called for Dr Wahab Ademola Azeez’s immediate reinstatement as the Provost of the Federal College of Education (FCE), Akoka.

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, the organisations expressed concerns over what they described as Dr. Azeez’s unjust removal from office.

The letter emphasised the need to uphold fairness, due process, and transparency in educational institution leadership.

The statement, signed by Debo Adeniran, national president of CDHR, urged the Minister to instruct the college’s governing council chairman to issue a letter of resumption to Azeez, allowing him to resume his responsibilities as Provost.

It would be recalled that Azeez, appointed on January 23, 2023, was expected to complete his second and final four-year term from May 26, 2023, to May 25, 2027.

The groups also recalled that on July 10, 2024, they issued a joint press statement urging the former Minister of Education to intervene swiftly in the crisis at the College, which has disrupted academic and administrative activities. They stressed that the failure to resolve the situation would tarnish the Ministry’s and the Minister’s reputation, describing it as a potential stain on his CV.

The statement further urged the Minister to take decisive action to resolve the dispute, warning that failure would result in negative consequences for all parties involved.

“Our organisations, CDHR and CACOL, also jointly wrote an open letter to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on July 20, 2024, calling for his intervention in the ongoing crisis at FCE Akoka. We urged the President to direct the Minister of Education to take immediate action to restore order and stability at the institution,” the statement said.

The advocacy groups also expressed surprise that, despite the inauguration of a Special Investigative Panel on the student crisis and a Council Committee to investigate allegations against the Provost on August 12, 2024, the reports of these bodies have not been submitted to the Minister of Education or made public, as required by law.

The groups were informed that the panels had completed their work and submitted their findings to the Chairman of the Governing Council. Still, the Council has not taken action to forward the recommendations to the Ministry for approval.

“We are alarmed that, despite the panels’ completion of their assignments, the Governing Council has not submitted its recommendations to the Minister’s office. We firmly believe that justice delayed is justice denied,” the statement said.

The groups also pointed out that the Chairman of the Governing Council had asked the Provost to ‘step aside’ from his duties effective July 31, 2024, despite the absence of any provision in the Federal Colleges of Education Act that supports such an action.