Veterinary College: Students want Agric Minister to confirm acting Provost

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 in Abuja, urged the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, to fast track the confirmation to put the institution on a sound footing.
NANS said 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 reads 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.
“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
“We particularly note with regret and express our concern with the manner in which the vacant post of the college provost is being handled with levity and glaring partisanship, and we urge the minister to demand for the result of the interview conducted by ARCN with the view to know the true position,” the unions said.
They further alleged that the development has generated a lot of agitation and bad blood in the college to a level that if nothing is done quickly to remedy the situation, there may be crises in the college.