Suspension: Covenant varsity students yet to write us, says NUC

[FlyJ]

 

The National Universities Commission has said it will intervene in the students’ grievances reported in Covenant University, Ogun State, only if a written petition from the students was submitted to it.

 

The NUC said its Department of Students Support Services is in charge of such issues, adding that it would not intervene because nothing had been reported by anyone.

 

The NUC Director of Information, Mr. Ibrahim Yakasai, said this in an interview with our correspondent on Friday, advising further that anyone who is aggrieved about rules breaching their fundamental human rights could also go to court.

 

He said, “Every university has a handbook which contains rules and regulations that guide students in all activities. But on the Covenant issue, we will not intervene because nobody has written or complained to us.

 

“We don’t know what happened yet. We can’t act until something is written to us. If the students have written to us, we will investigate. But I’m telling you that any student of federal, state or private universities, who feels his or her rights have been breached can revert to the law.

 

“When the universities come to us for accreditation, they bring their laws and regulations which we must certify, before giving them licence.

 

“We understand that universities nowadays, for example, emphasise on a dress code simply to guard against immorality, which the NUC is not against. But it is the manner of enforcement that we try to advise universities on.

 

“We don’t have control over rules and regulations in private universities, but we have supervisory roles on their activities. If it’s about faith, then it is a controversial issue, and anyone not comfortable with it can go to court.”

 

Yakasai emphasised that students had the right to go to court to challenge any breach of fundamental human rights which they suspected.

 

“On the Covenant matter particularly, the students have a fundamental right to go to court. If there are regulations that breach the fundamental rights of anyone, the students can go to court.

 

“I don’t mean to say rules and regulations of private universities are beyond NUC, but the NUC is not a court. The best we do is to advise the institutions not to breach the fundamental rights of their students,” he added.

 

Source