WRONG MOVE: Federal University Otuoke Sack Bayelsa Staff

***As Dismissed Staff Accuse VC Teddy Adidas For Witch-hunting Bayelsans

The Governing council of Federal University OTUOKE had approved the dismissal of some Academic and non Academic staff of the university.

With the Names published by the institution, it is obvious that most of the dismissed staff are Bayelsans, this news didn’t sit well with a lot of Bayelsans as the move looks like a direct attack on indigenes by the vice chancellor of the university Prof Teddy Adias.

One of the affected staff, who is a lecturer Mister Doupere Fada in a statement signed by himself wrote:

“Dear Mr. Tyrant Professor Teddy Addias,

It is with a sense of fulfillment and reflection that I write to address your orchestrated dismissal of myself and several other Bayelsans from Federal University Otuoke (FUO), the only federal university in our land. Our so-called offense? The pursuit of more knowledge beyond the shores of our country.

I take solace in the fact that our quest for academic advancement is the reason behind this dismissal. Indeed, it is far better to be dismissed for seeking higher education than for any criminal or moral failing. I am fulfilled in knowing that my decision to acquire more knowledge—spurred by the stagnation of the Nigerian educational system—was the basis for this unjust action.

However, this decision to penalize us for pursuing academic progress reveals a great deal about the nature of the leadership we were subjected to under your administration. It is deeply unfortunate that under your watch, academic growth—a critical driver of institutional and national development—is punished rather than celebrated. Although I choose not to challenge this dismissal, as it is not worth the effort in such a dysfunctional academic environment and a reward system that has lost its moral compass, I believe those responsible will carry the moral weight of this decision for the rest of their careers. There will come a day of reckoning—perhaps not in academia, but in the political arena, where our paths will inevitably cross again.

It is important to clarify that this dismissal, orchestrated by you under the pretense of executing a presidential directive, is nothing more than a mask for your own malicious agenda. While it is true that the President ordered the suspension of salaries for staff absent from their duties, nowhere was dismissal ever mandated. Your decision to dismiss me and my colleagues was not in line with the President’s directive, but rather a calculated move to hide behind the cloak of authority while executing your own agenda.

Assuming, for the sake of argument, that this was the President’s directive (which it wasn’t)—how many Yoruba Vice-Chancellors have dismissed their own people in the same vein, even when given similar directives? The truth is, your actions speak volumes about your character, Professor Addias. As Bayelsans, we are well aware of your history. This is not the first time you have taken such reckless and harmful actions. During your tenure as head of the state-owned School of Health, you left a trail of destruction behind you. My fear is that, left unchecked, you may continue to dismantle this university, leaving countless colleagues and students in ruin before your tenure is up.

As for you, Mr. Tyrant-Professor Teddy Addias, there is a saying from Chinua Achebe that, “Those whose kernels were cracked by benevolent spirits should not forget to be humble.”

It is common knowledge that you did not become Vice-Chancellor on merit according to NUC standards. Rather, you owe your position to the good intentions of the former VC, Professor S.A. Jaja, who believed that Bayelsans and Ijaw people should hold positions of leadership in institutions located within our homeland.

We all know how the system bent the rule that requires 10 years of experience as a professor, just to allow you, a Bayelsan, to assume the position. And now, you are using the goodwill of your predecessor to sabotage fellow Bayelsans and Ijaw people.

Such behavior would never be tolerated in other parts of Nigeria, but sadly, it is possible in Ijaw land. In any ideal situation, a person of your questionable character—someone who once fled the Nigerian Navy—would never be given such a prestigious position. But rest assured, your plan to destroy the aspirations of young, ambitious Bayelsans has failed. You will not stop us from challenging the status quo or from changing our environment for the better. In the near future, we will meet again—and I will certainly take my pound of flesh”.

Dismissing so many Bayelsans in an institution that indigenes already has a limited number of staff is like shooting oneself in the leg.