Edo Varsity ASUU Demands Management’s Sack, Wants Neutral Governing Council

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin Cit

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma chapter, yesterday called for the sack of the acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Asomwan  Adagbonyin and his management team.

The union insisted that the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, who is the visitor to the university constitutes a neutral, competent and experienced governing council for the state-owned tertiary institution.
The union also cautioned that a governing council that is not neutral, competent and experienced in university administration may exacerbate the crises presently facing the ivory tower.

ASUU-AAU, in a press statement signed by Dr. Cyril Onogbosele and Dr. William Odion, the Chairman and Assistant Secretary of ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma chapter respectively, warned that no member of Special Intervention Team (SIT) should be included in the yet to be constituted Governing Council of the school.
It added that “no member of the present controversial, expired and discredited SIT of the university should make membership of the governing council expected to be constituted for the university by the visitor.

“The present university management led by  the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin who has acted for more than two years  (Since February 2022) in clear violation of the University’s law, rules and regulations.

“It should also give way to a new crop of principal officers. This will strengthen the credibility, neutrality and fairness required of both the university management and governing council by staff, students and other stakeholders of the university,” the union said.
It, therefore, advised the state government to be guided by the university’s law and the relevant rules and regulations on membership of governing council, especially in relation to academic qualification and relevant experience.

Specifically, the union maintained that the minimum academic qualification for membership of a university governing council is a university bachelor’s degree and  vast knowledge of university governance and administration, particularly for a chairman of a governing council.
It also called for independence of the proposed governing council and cautioned that undue government interference would make rubbish of the relevance of governing council and fester the present crises facing the University.

According to the group,  in order to restore lasting industrial peace and harmony to the university, “all outstanding salaries of staff should be paid, while cases of staff victimisation, repression and undue termination of appointments with the university should be dispassionately addressed and resolved.”

ASUU-AAU further stated that the problem of funding was indisputably central to the crises facing the university and urged Edo state government, to as a matter of urgency, restore adequate monthly subvention to the university for recurrent expenditure and release the budgetary capital allocation of the university.