The Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture (ASUCA) has strongly opposed the recent appointment of Professor Jeremiah Jonathan Atungwu as Provost of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, describing it as a violation of the advertised requirements for the position.

ASUCA's Acting National President, Williams Manggoel, while addressing journalists in Jos, Plateau State on Thursday, explained that the job advertisement published in the Nigerian Tribune on November 15, 2024, specifically stated that eligible candidates must be Assistant Directors, Associate Professors, or Principal Lecturers from National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) or Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCA).

"The Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Agriculture wishes to express its strong objection towards the recent appointment of a University Professor as the Provost/CEO, Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan. This came as a surprise considering the advertisement in national newspapers which specifically indicated different qualification requirements," Manggoel stated.

According to the union, the appointment of a university professor, who falls outside the specified criteria, undermines the integrity of the selection process and demoralizes in-system academic staff by discouraging their career progression.

ASUCA also condemned a recent advertisement for the Provost position at the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, which included university Associate Professors as eligible candidates. The union argued that this contradicts previous agreements and threatens the unique structure and autonomy of agricultural colleges.

The union accused the supervising ministry and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) of being misinformed or negligent in handling the issue of Scheme of Service (SOS) and Condition of Service (COS) for staff of FCAs and related institutions. They noted that continued reliance on the outdated 2004 version has negatively impacted staff development and morale.

ASUCA has called for immediate action, including the reversal of the Provost appointment at FCA Ibadan, withdrawal and correction of the Vom college advertisement, and tangible proof of progress on the new SOS/COS from the Head of Service.

The union emphasized that leadership in agricultural colleges should come from within the system to preserve its identity and maintain the specialized nature of agricultural education in Nigeria.