Akwa Ibom NLC withdraws from AKSU Visitation Panel
…says inclusion of AKSU VC, Ex VC, as members Visitation Panel makes exercise a bizzare comedy
The Akwa Ibom State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, have withdrawn it’s membership from the Visitation/Verification panel to Akwa Ibom State University, AKSU, describing the exercise as a bizzare comedy and a mockery of justice.
In a letter dated March 12, 2021 and addressed to the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Ephraim Inyang-Eyen, the NLC noted with dismay that though Akwa Ibom State Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has the power and prerogative to constitute a Visitation Panel by virtue of of the Akwa Ibom State University Law Part III (1) and (2), the same Law in sub 3 (a) and (b) provides clarity that the persons to be visited may not be included as members of the Visitation Panel.
Labour described as absurd, a person being a “visitor” to his own house with the inclusion of AKSU’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nse Essien and his predecessor, Prof. Eno Ibanga as members of the Visitation Panel.
According to the NLC, the inclusion of AKSU’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nse Essien and the inclusion of the immediate past Vice Chairperson, Prof Eno Ibanga as members of the Visitation Panel clearly violates the standard legal requirement of “nemo judex in causa sua” (you cannot be a judge in your own case).
According to labour, “the personalities under reference are currently drawing salaries from the Akwa Ibom State University. While Prof. Nse Essien, as the Vice Chancellor is by law the Chairman of the University Senate, the same Prof. Nse Essien during the tenure of Prof. Eno Ibanga as Vice Chairperson, was the Hon. Commissioner for Education and a statutory member of the Institution’s Governing Council.
The inclusion of these two (2) persons in the Panel therefore compromises the Panel’s independence as both of them are in all intent and purposes “interested parties.
The NLC had earlier in a letter dated February 24, 2021, called on the State Government to withdraw the two persons “in order that the Panel does not lose its credibility.
Labour noted with dismay that even after it had drawn the attention of government to the irregularities, government did not deem it necessary to accord the NLC even the privilege of responding to its memo on the subject matter.
The State Executive Council, (SEC) of the NLC stated that aside the Union’s prior concerns on the Illegality and impropriety of having the University’s Vice Chancellor and his predecessor as members of the Visitation Panel, “an attempt to compel witnesses from the Unions, to testify orally of in writing, before the Panel, as presently constituted, would run against the spirit and letters of the Witness Protection Act. SEC-in-Session reiterated, that the presence of these two persons, themselves interested parties in the investigation, as Judges in their own case would not guarantee the safety of witnesses.
The SEC noted that this would be a classic case of the mockery of justice, and no reasonable person would wish to participate in such a bizzare comedy”.
The NLC declared that in the light of Government’s refusal to abide with due process and the provisions of relevant Laws governing the establishment and operation of Visitation Panels, the NLC has withdrawn her participation, forthwith, from the Visitation/Verification Panel of the Akwa Ibom State University.
(C) The Ibom Informer Newspaper
