The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), AAU, Ekpoma Chapter has hailed the recent constitution of a seven-member Governing Council chaired by Dr. Omo-Ehijele Frank Odafen for the university in place of the Special Intervention Team (SIT).
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and Visitor to the institution had on Thursday, 11th July, 2024, in accordance with AAU Law 1999 (As Amended), announced the constitution of the Governing Council.
In a joint statement by Dr. Cyril Onogbosele and Dr. William Odion, the Chairman and Secretary, respectively of ASUU, AAU chapter and made available to journalists in Benin City, they remarked that the development marked a significant departure from what they insisted was “the tumultuous reign of the SIT, which perpetuated a culture of crises and impunities that undermined the university’s autonomy and academic freedom.”
Onogbosele and Odion however noted that due to the numerous problems the reign of SIT created, the newly constituted Governing Council will have to deal with a number of unresolved administrative lapses and staff welfare issues in the crises bedeviling the university.
They listed the litany of unresolved issues as the unbridled breach of the university’s autonomy in terms of procedural self-governance, substantive independence and academic freedom; lack of funding by the state government; and the absence of substantive principal officers (vice chancellor, registrar, bursar, librarian and provost) in the last three years.
The unionists also fumed at the arbitrary removal/replacement of elected deans of faculties; the non-payment of salaries/allowances of many staff; non-implementation of the award of 25% and 35% increase in the salaries of academic staff; stoppage of third-party deductions (ASUU dues, staff welfare savings, etc.) and non-remittance of deducted ASUU dues between September 2020 and November 2021; delayed staff appraisal and promotion exercise; and promotion of staff without financial benefits.
Others are selective issuance of promotion letters to staff; undue retirement/termination of the appointments of some staff; intimidation and victimization of staff; fraudulent implementation of Edo Health Insurance Scheme; coercion of staff by the authorities to pay fees for access to their workplace; running of some academic programmes, particularly in the College of Medicine in violation of National Universities Commission’s guidelines; and undue amendment of the University’s Regulations Governing the service of staff members.
The chairman and secretary noted that the running of the university by principal officers, including the vice chancellor, Prof. Sonnie Adagbonyin in acting capacity for two years, is a violation of public service rule, advising that it was time to make appointments of substantive principal officers.
ASUU also denounced the non-payment of salaries of some staff unjustly for 30 months when they were neither tried nor found guilty of any offence; non-resolution of the issue of withheld salaries for seven months in 2022 over ASUU national strike, when these monies have been paid in federal and many state universities; non-payment of responsibility allowance of office-holders, and the non-issuance of pay-slips when salaries are paid.
While calling for the timely inauguration of the Council and restoration of funding by Governor Obaseki, Onogbosele and Odion emphasized the urgent need for a return to normalcy in the governance of the university, academic excellence and revitalization of the university’s intellectual and ethical fabric.
They advised: “As the university embarks on this new chapter, ASUU implored the new Governing Council to engage in broad consultations with primary stakeholders of the university to comprehensively and wholly address the crises in the university.
“The Council should reconcile the contradictions of the past and steer the university towards a future of justice, peace, progress and academic distinction devoid of propaganda.”
