Gov Lalong begs for 5-months grace as NUC orders reinstatement of sacked VC

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau state has asked for a five month grace period following directives by the National Universities Commission (NUC) over the sack of erstwhile Vice Chancellor of the Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos, and related issues.

Lalong asked the NUC to allow his government put the neccessry infrastructure in place at the university.

The NUC Executive Secretary, Julius Okojie, had during a Tuesday press conference given Lalong three weeks to reinstate Dokan Sheni who was sacked in October 2014 by immediate past governor, Jonah Jang.

Okojie however noted that reinstating the sacked VC is the first step to solving the university's issues.

“Reinstate him because he has not completed his term, appoint a Registrar, Bursar and put the Governing Council in place in three weeks’ time,” Okojie said.

READ: Students Tackle Governor Jang Over PLASU VC's Sack

Jang had also replaced Sheni with Stephen Mallo, a former Rector of Plateau Polytechnic, sparking student protests and criticisms from stakeholders.

PLASU, a state-owned university established in 2005 by the Joshua Chibi Dariye administration, had failed to graduate any student in its 9 years of existence.

The Students’ Union Government (SUG) President, Matthew Dafoum, had at the time blamed Jang, noting that "within three years the University has had three Vice Chancellors as opposed to the possible fifteen years of the cumulative tenure of the three Vice Chancellors."

READ: No Student Has Graduated From 9-Year-Old University ...Jang To Blame

The failure of the university to graduate any student is because it has yet to get NUC accreditation for many of its courses.

Lalong now hopes for a period of grace as well the NUC's indulgence with regards to two sets of students waiting to be graduated.

The governor plans to have the facilities in place towards getting accreditation for the instoiutuin's 17 unaccredited courses.

He revealed that a committee is already looking into Sheni's sack.