By Sebastine Ebhuomhan
The election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State and his quick reversal of some policies of his predecessor has firmly put the Ambrose Alli University (AAU) on not only the paths of recovery and restoration but also on the paths of competition and greatness, according to Chief Dan Osi Orbih, Chairman of the Governing Council of the Ambrose Alli University.
A household name in the contemporary politics of Edo State and Nigeria, Orbih is a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of Nigeria, which he currently leads as the National Vice Chairman, South-South. He granted an exclusive interview last week in Irruah, where this journalist met him during his preparation for the inaugural AAU Governing Council meeting.
Assessing Mr. Okpebholo’s first 100 days in office, Orbih hailed the former Senator of Edo Central Senatorial District for taking hard, conscious, deliberate and brave decisions since his inauguration into the office on 12th November, 2024. He reasoned that even though 100 days are not enough to judge what a future of four years or more years might be, the signs that marked Okpebholo’s first 100 days indicate a future of development and greatness for the state in every sector.
“For me, it will be too early to push out an assessment. He has over three years and several months in this first tenure to stay in the office. Hundred days are just there as foundation to what he intends to do.
“So far, from what we have seen in 100 days, if he is able to sustain and maintain the momentum, he is certainly going to do very well. While one may say it is rather too early to use 100 days to assess an administration that has four years to stay in office, one can also safely say that the signs we are seeing from his first 100 days are enough to prove that if he can sustain the current momentum, he will do well,” Orbih stated.
Some of the laudable actions the governor has taken in his first 100 days include the reversal of some destructive policies, programmes and acts that unarguably diminished, reduced and almost destroyed the AAU as an institution of higher learning that has produced great and influential citizens like the founder of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Mr. Tony Elumelu, the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN and many others. At the top of his sins at AAU, ex-Governor Godwin Obaseki had stubbornly and famously created an illegal administrative body called: Special Intervention Team (SIT), peopled by acolytes and supporters of his party faction after dissolving the Governing Council he met. Okpebholo immediately reversed this unpopular and criticised aberration the very day of his oath administration at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
Other destructive policies Okpebholo reversed include: the increase of the school’s monthly subvention from N41 million under Obaseki to N500 million, about 1,201 per cent increase; the induction of the university’s medical students after a long delay; the closing of all satellite campuses and their relocation to the main campus for more qualitative education; the recall of management and staff unjustly sacked by the Obaseki administration; the regular payment of salaries that were already in arrears before the change of government; a directive for the employment of qualified academic and non-academic staff; as well as stoppage of the transfer of Engineering Department of AAU to a location opposite the University of Benin in Ugbowo by the PDP-elected Obaseki government.
Orbih began, “Under the government of Godwin Obaseki, he reduced the subvention to the institution drastically to about N41 million a month. There was a lot of crises. The management of the university were unable to meet up with their responsibilities. They were unable to pay staff salaries as at when due; they were unable to provide basic things you need in a conducive learning environment. Again, the approach or attitude of the then government did not help matters. They went ahead to bring something unknown to the articles setting up the university. They called it SIT or Special Intervention Team.”
He explained: “The current governor of the state, Senator Monday Okpebholo has a different approach on how to bring back the university to what it used to be. First, instead of SIT, which is unknown to the university system, he has constituted a Governing Council within the very short time that he assumed office. He has charged us to do all that we can to ensure that the university is back to its good old days.
“My immediate task after the swearing-in of the Governing Council was to pay a visit to the institution. We held several meetings with the members of Academic Staff Union of University, management staff, the Non-Academic Staff Union, Students Union, etc. We have met with all the critical stakeholders of the university. We have taken time to listen to them.
“We have also ensured that they were able to conduct credible election to nominate the non-academic members of the Council: representing the Senate; representing the Congregation; representing all the various unions and organs, who by the enabling Act setting up the Council are supposed to be represented in the Governing Council. The reason is that these representatives of the various bodies are there to give us inside information about some of the things that will come before the Council for consideration. It is important to have them on board early.”
Orbih spoke on other challenges confronting the university such as dilapidating facilities, lack of accommodation, cultism, low-quality education, involvement of parents in character moulding, and plans by the Governing Council to consider revenue generation without adverse effect on school fees.
Mr. Sebastine EBHUOMHAN is an award-winning journalist and media consultant from Edo State. He can be reached on: usie007@yahoo.com and 08037204620.
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