The Cross River State Government has cautioned protesting students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, against the use of inflammatory language capable of inciting violence, while urging them to maintain peace and follow due process in presenting their grievances.
The warning was issued on Thursday as students of the institution staged a peaceful protest to the Governor’s Office in Calabar over an alleged plan to appoint a non-indigene as rector of the polytechnic.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Respect Catchment Area Policy,” “No to Non-Indigene Rector,” “Uphold Local Content in Ugep,” and “Our Indigene Deserves the Rector Position.”
According to the students, the protest was aimed at drawing the attention of both the Federal Government and the Cross River State Government to what they described as a deviation from the established rectorial appointment process.
Speaking during the protest, a student leader, Stephen Etem, said the Federal Government had earlier constituted a governing council for the institution, chaired by former senator Florence Ita Giwa, to oversee the selection of a substantive rector.
Etem explained that the selection process, which commenced last year, reportedly produced a Cross River indigene as the highest-scoring candidate during the screening exercise, adding that the governing council subsequently forwarded the name to the Federal Ministry of Education.
He alleged that information available to the students suggested that the recommended candidate’s name might be substituted.
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“Our concern is that an indigene of Cross River State emerged first in the screening exercise, yet there are indications that his name may be replaced. This contradicts the principles of local content and the catchment area policy,” he said.
The students appealed to the Federal Government and relevant authorities to intervene and ensure that the recommendation of the governing council was upheld, warning that any alteration of the process could heighten tension within the institution.
Responding on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Intelligence, Mr Goddie Archibong Akpama, appealed to the students to remain calm and ensure that their actions remained peaceful.
He advised them to document their concerns formally and channel them through appropriate authorities, including the Commissioner for Education.
“The issue of catchment area and local content should be clearly outlined in your petition. Avoid any language that could incite violence. Your concerns will be addressed through the right channels,” Akpama said.
