The attention of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma Chapter has been drawn to the reaction by the University Administration to its press conference of Thursday, 29thFebruary, 2024 reported in the media.
The Union said it has painstakingly perused the said reaction and wishes to state unequivocally that it is unfortunate that the University Administration would be so feeble and evasive on several serious matters raised by the Union in the said press conference.
In the statement signed by Dr. Cyril Oziegbe Onogbosele and Dr. William Odion, Chairperson and Assistant Secretary of ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma respectively, the Union said it was not surprised by the simplistic response of the University Administration lacking in rigour, being a product of alien and unqualified handlers of the University since 2021.
The Union expressed disappointment over the embellished rhetoric reaction from the University Administration, stylishly designed to evade serious matters on assault on university autonomy; administrative highhandedness; impunity; pauperization and victimization of staff; erosion of the pristine university ethos of due process, rule of law and academic freedom; weighty allegation of fraudulent graduation of over thirty (30) students purportedly based overseas by the University; large-scale certificate and academic transcript racketeering; alleged tax invasion by staff, amounting to over 2 billion naira in the University, and the illegality of all activities by the Special Intervention Team (SIT) as a result of tenure expiration since November 2022.
It is disheartening that the University Administration is not bordered about the legal implications of its present administrative policies, decisions and activities, including non-procedural appointments/employments being superintended over by the SIT which will come to nought now or in the future as the Union is poised to fight these illegalities till justice is done in the University.
The Union reaffirmed its opposition to the so-called appointment of Otunba Mike Aladenika as Head, Corporate Communications and Protocol of the University because his appointment is illegal, non-procedural and a strange invention in the University’s scheme of service. The appointment, it said, represents one of the classic impunities in the University by SIT in violation of the University Law and Scheme of Service.
The Union asked, “What is the qualification and university work experience of Aladenika to earn automatic position of Principal Assistant Registrar (PAR) on Level 13 in the University?”. Has he ever worked in a university or any tertiary institution to be appointed to the exalted position of a PAR?
According to the Union, the media should ask the University Administration to address the stoppage of the salaries of some academic staff, selective payment of salaries, non-payment of outstanding/withheld salaries, stoppage of responsibility allowance (for office-holders), stoppage of annual salary increments, stoppage of payment of excess workload arrears, non-issuance of payslips and bastardisation of the statutory salary structure in the University.
What about the issue of outstanding salaries/withheld salaries of staff over ASUU’s national strike action between 14th February, 2022 and 16th October, 2022 that has remained unresolved in the University even when the Federal Government has started paying up those salaries in Federal Universities? The Union said it was embarrassing for the University Administration to deny owing salaries even when they recently collated the names of staff they have deliberately victimized and denied salaries since January 2022.
Could the University Administration speak up on the present funding profile of the University? Could Aladenika disclose to his colleagues in the press the specific monthly subvention to the University by the State Government, having totally abolished the University’s monthly subvention of 270 million naira the Obaseki-led Administration met and introduced the obnoxious policy of self-funding in AAU, Ekpoma which has brought the University to its kneels?
Could Aladenika be categorical if the University’s statutory organs, including Senate are functionally non-existent to the extent that the functions of University’s Senate have either been usurped or taken over by the SIT? Is it true that SIT examines courses and fixes scores for continuous assessment in the University by arbitrarily raising it from 30 to 50 marks in a desperate bid to compel students to pay fees?
What is the actual status of all Acting Principal Officers of the University? Has SIT not completely taken over the administration of the University? Is the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sonnie Adagbonyin actually in charge of administration of the University in terms of administrative independence? Can Prof. Adagbonyin as Acting Vice Chancellor authorize the transfer of even a clerk in the University or give instructions without the approval of Mr. Austin Osakue, the de facto SIT Chairman in Benin City?
Is it not true that workers in the University have been compelled to pay money to access their offices in the University? Is it not the true that SIT/University Administration, without consultation and authorization by staff, forcefully deducted “access fee” from staff salaries and that all attempts, including letters written by our Union to the University Administration calling for a reversal of the deduction were ignored? Let Aladenika deny that AAU, Ekpoma is not the only public University in Edo State and the country as a whole where workers pay fees to have access to their workplace.
The Union said it is sad that the University Administration has descended into the arena of full blown propaganda and patent lies by denying the several deaths of academic staff recorded in the University in recent times as a result of wicked denial of salaries of staff and its slavish policies.
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