By Emma Amaize
WARRI- STUDENTS of the troubled Federal University of Petroleum Resources, FUPRE, Effurun in Delta State have started vacating their hostels for their homes,  during the week, because there are no lecturers to teach them.

Some of the students were seen with their bag and baggage at about 7.00 am, yesterday, leaving their hostels.

One of them told Vanguard, “We are not happy with what is going on. The government should comply with the rules and regulations guiding the university and allow the Governing Council to run the university as prescribed by law”.

“Now, we are the ones suffering the bad management of the people they appointed to head the school, look at our plight, for five years,  none of the programmes being run in a federal university has been accredited and some people are just  defrauding the system”, he added.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and Non Academic Staff Union, NASU, FUPRE chapters, embarked on a work-to-rule, last Tuesday, over alleged unlawful recall of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Babatunde Alabi and Registrar, Dr. L. O. Onwuka from their accumulated /terminal leave against the decision of the Governing Council.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, did not oppose the work-to-rule, but opted for dialogue.

As at Wednesday, however, ASUU and NASU still maintained that their members would not return to work unless the Minister of Education rescinded her decision on the recall of Prof Alabi and Mrs. Onwuka.

Director, Academic Standards, National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof Alhassan Bichi was deployed to the university, Monday, to douse tension, but stakeholders are suspicious of the commission’s move.

According to a Niger-Delta activist, Comrade Emma Akpovoka, NUC was simply perfecting the illegal stay of the embattled vice chancellor, Prof Alabi and unilateral order of the Minister of Education with the deployment of Prof Bichi to FUPRE.

His words, “The intervention of the National Universities Commission,  NUC, by delegating Prof L Alhassan Bichi, Director, Academic Standards to the University on facts findings and probably make a recommendations is not plot to perfect the lawlessness being perpetuated by the Education Minister”.

He said NUC’s suspicious intervention to perfect the stay of Prof. Alabi and Mrs. Onwuka, could be traced to a letter, dated 27th October, 2011, signed by the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof, Julius Okojie, granting illegal permission to the university’s bursar, Mrs. L.Akpoveta Ologbo to freeze all FUPRE bank accounts, ostensibly to cover up the financial recklessness of some officials.

“Though, am very sure Prof Bichi cannot compromise his hard earned reputation,  being one of the most respected professors in Nigeria and internationally. Prof. Bichi’s recommendations will definitely paint his true picture” he added.

He maintained that the only way peace would prevail in the university was for all parties to obey and adhere to the October 18, 2011 decision of the governing council that Prof Alabi and Mrs. Onwuka should proceed on accumulated leave.