Activities were disrupted at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, after protesting youths from the Berom host community locked the main gates leading into the institute and other federal institutions within the complex over the appointment of the Provost of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology (FCAHPT), Vom.
The protesters, led by the Berom Intelligentsia Forum, demanded the reversal of the appointment of Abdullahi Ahmed as Provost of the college, appealing to President Bola Tinubu to review the decision.
The youths also carried placards bearing different inscriptions calling for the withdrawal of the appointment.
Addressing journalists during the protest, President of the Berom Intelligentsia Forum, Weng Emmanuel, said the host community had suffered decades of neglect despite donating the land on which the institutions were established.
“It will interest you to know that the institute was established in 1924, but unfortunately the host community that magnanimously gave out the land to the colonial authorities without adequate compensation has not benefited from the institute,” he said.
Emmanuel noted that the NVRI complex houses four federal institutions—the National Veterinary Research Institute, the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, the Federal College of Medical and Veterinary Laboratory Technology, and the National Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research—but alleged that no indigene of the host community had ever occupied a principal leadership position in any of them.
“It is highly regrettable that none of the host community members has ever been considered worthy of occupying any principal position in these four institutions. Despite our hospitality and magnanimity, we have been repaid with injustice,” he said.
He alleged that Luka Pam, an indigene of the community, scored the highest marks in both the written examination and interview for the position of provost but was denied the appointment.
“We know the position of provost is based on merit, but one of our own, Associate Professor Luka Pam, came first in both the written examination and interview and was still denied the appointment. We see this as discriminatory and appeal to Mr President to reverse this imbroglio,” Emmanuel added.
Also speaking, the Councillor representing Turu Ward in the Jos South Local Government Area, Mafeng Dung, said the protest was deliberately kept peaceful despite the anger among the youths.
“It is our plea that the decision be reversed. We are law-abiding citizens, and that is why we did not invite the youth to cause any chaos. We just selected some like minds because the youth believe in us. We are pleading with the President to listen to us,” Dung said.
The locking of the gates temporarily disrupted activities within the institutions as staff, students and visitors were denied access until security personnel and community leaders intervened.
Tinubu had, in July 2026, approved the appointment of Abdullahi Ahmed as Provost of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security nor the management of the college had issued an official response to the protesters’ demands
