The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Owerri (FUTO), Prof. Nnenna Oti, said the management had gone to court over the rejection of Ibrahim Pantami’s promotion to the rank of a professor of Cyber Security by the institution.
This followed the threat by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to sanction FUTO management for approving Pantami as a professor while he is still in Federal Government’s active service as a minister.
Oti, reportedly, said Tuesday that the management went to court on the matter, saying any comment or discussion on it is subjudice.
In the meantime, ASUU FUTO Branch has denied knowledge of any suit, saying it had not been communicated on it.
But a senior management worker, who spoke in confidence, claimed that ASUU has no right to dabble into a matter it has no jurisdiction over.
“Just like ASUU does not tell the university council and its Senate who to promote, it cannot tell them the criteria for promoting somebody to rank of professor. In law, you cannot withdraw what you don’t have. ASUU does not regulate appointments and promotions. Some of these things are derived from NUC guidelines, and every university sets up its standard,” the source said.
