The recent appointment of Mr. Loghomtukkum Collins Damak as Acting Director of Works at the College of Education (COE), Gindiri, has triggered a legal battle and renewed controversy within the institution.
The case, filed under suit number NICN/ABJ/245/2025 at the National Industrial Court, Abuja Division, was scheduled for hearing on Thursday but was abruptly transferred to the Jos Division. A new date for proceedings is yet to be fixed.
Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang had approved a fresh leadership team for the college in July, conveyed in a letter signed by Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau. The appointments included Prof. Lazarus Maigoro as Provost, Abdullahi Babangida Abdullahi as Registrar, Felix Daflip as Bursar, and Loghomtukkum Collins Damak as Acting Director of Works.
While the government said the decision was part of efforts to reform Plateau’s education sector, Damak’s appointment has faced stiff opposition. Critics allege he neither applied for nor attended the advertised interview for the position in May 2025.
The suit was initiated by Barr. Mohammed Idris Kannam, one of the applicants for the role of Director of Works. He is asking the court to nullify Damak’s appointment and order a fresh recruitment exercise. Since then, the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) COE Gindiri chapter, and other applicants and citizens have joined the suit.
Respondents include Damak, the Chairperson of the Governing Council, Provost Maigoro, and the Plateau State Government.
Speaking with journalists after the case was moved to Jos, Barr. Kannam said the development was disappointing but not unusual.
“This case emanated from the advertised vacancies, one of which was for Director of Works. Mr. Damak neither applied nor attended the interview, yet he was appointed from nowhere. As a citizen and activist, I felt there was foul play, and it was important to challenge it,” he stated.
Kannam added that growing support from unions and staff underscored widespread concern over what they describe as a breach of due process.
In a related development, the Joint Union of Plateau State Tertiary Institutions, COE Gindiri Chapter, also faulted the appointment in an August 2025 letter. While congratulating the new management team, the unions questioned why an Acting Director of Works was appointed after a rigorous advertisement and interview process.
“If the candidate was not suitable for substantive appointment, he should not have been appointed at all. We therefore demand that the appointment be withdrawn and the position re-advertised,” the unions said.
They further criticized the appointment of a Registrar despite the availability of two qualified Deputy Registrars within the institution who had undergone the interview process.
The unions warned that ignoring their concerns could disrupt industrial harmony at the college.
The matter will now proceed in Jos, where stakeholders await the court’s decision on whether Damak’s appointment stands or a new recruitment process will be ordered.
