Obaseki inaugurates 8-man Governing Council for AAU

…says education policy to be unveiled soon

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has inaugurated an 8-man Governing Council for the state-owned university, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, urging members of the council to work towards repositioning the university into a world-class institution.

Reflecting on the history of the university as the second state-owned university established in Nigeria, Obaseki said the high-quality standard set by the institution 34 years ago has waned over the years, which showed that urgent action is needed to address the situation.

He said, “The mandate of the institution is to teach, carry out research and provide services to the community. After 34 years of its establishment, these expectations have not been met. We have reduced our university to one driven by political agents of whoever is in government.”

Obaseki assured members of the governing council of his administration’s support in ensuring they succeed in the task of repositioning the institution, noting that “We spend over N300 million monthly on the university and we are ready to put more money on infrastructure but we will not do so until we are convinced that the government arrangement in the university is the right one that can properly manage the resources.”

“One of the first things you will do is to work with us to set up a visitation panel to review and understand what went wrong in the university,” Obaseki added.

According to him, the state government is working on developing an education policy in the state which will be unveiled in the coming weeks, adding, “This policy will emphasise basic education which is the foundation to prepare our children for the challenges of life. The move is a fundamental shift from what obtained in the last 30 years.”

The Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr. Lawson Omokhodion, lauded the governor for the confidence in members of the council, noting that the council will put in their best to move the university forward and make it one of the best universities in the world.