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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, chapter has berated the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin over what the union described as “his outburst and the use of uncouth language response” to the recent press conference addressed by Prof. Fred Esumeh, the Benin Zonal Coordinator of ASUU.
This was contained in a statement which emanated from the secretariat of AAU ASUU, titled “THE TONGUE OF AN UNCIVILIZED ACADEMIC: A RESPONSE TO AAU PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLICATION, “THE WHINING OF A RABID DOG: AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY’S RESPONSE TO PROFESSOR FRED ESUMEH’S ILL-CONCEIVED PRESS CONFERENCE”
According to the union, rather than intellectually address the issues raised in the press conference by the Benin Zone of ASUU, the University Administration of Professor A. S. Adagbonyin chose to malign an individual, characteristic of a clueless, deceitful and destructive Administration.
“We wish to assure the University Administration of Professor A. S. Adagbonyin that Professor Fred Esumeh will not respond as a person to the insults on his person because the text of the press conference was anchored by Professor Fred Esumeh on the basis of the structure of our Union, ASUU, as the Zonal Coordinator of Benin Zone, to which AAU, Ekpoma along with six other branches belong.
“Professor Fred Esumeh is a true scholar, an alumnus of AAU, Ekpoma who obtained his postgraduate trainings at the University of Lagos and University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, through scholarship.
“As a person and as an academic, Professor F. I. Esumeh was raised on truth and the civilized side of the society, as opposed to those who call names and continue with their marketing of lies as a rejoinder”, the union stated.
The Union however charged the University Administration of Professor A. S. Adagbonyin to directly address the public on the following: “Is it not true that workers in the University are owed monthly emoluments amounting to twenty one (21) months, with effect from September 2020 to date?
“Is it true that of these, fifteen (15) months are unremitted sundry deductions to staff Unions (including ASUU), Workers’ Cooperative Societies, Welfare Organizations, etc. and six (6) months of unpaid gross emoluments? Why were many staff unjustly denied of their January and February 2022 payment of salaries? Is there arbitrary selected payment of salaries in the University?
“Has Professor A. S. Adagbonyin as Acting Vice Chancellor been able to comply with Edo State Government directive to pay all outstanding salaries, and deductions of workers as contained in government special announcement dated June 8, 2022, even with the collection of school fees?
” Is it not true that the University is having a defective administrative structure anchored on ad hoc basis where all Principal Officers are in acting capacity?
“Does the organogram of a University (locally and internationally) include the establishment of a Governing Council or Special Intervention Team (SIT)?
“How many weeks of lectures should be observed as approved by the NUC for a semester?
” Who set the examination questions in courses allocated to lecturers who were and are still on strike in some Departments for the so-called concluded examinations? “If lecturers were on strike who then invigilated the examinations?
“All through Professor A. S. Adagbonyin’s years as a Lecturer and now a Professor and Acting Vice Chancellor, has he observed any ASUU strike or strikes? If so, was he paid salaries during the period of the strike or strikes?
“Can he morally justify implementation of the policy of ‘no work no pay’ when he has collected salaries all his years in the University for periods of legitimate strikes embarked upon by the Union?l
“All through the 35 years of Professor A. S. Adagbonyin as a Lecturer and now a Professor, has he ever taught a course and without his authority students are examined in same and purportedly graduated
“If examinations were not forced on students, what informed the protest/petition by some students to National Universities Commission (NUC)?”
“Is it not true that the University Administration under Professor A. S. Adagbonyin is currently running two academic sessions simultaneously with some departments in 2020/2021 and others in 2021/2022?
Who moderated final year questions before they were administered?” among others.
The union therefore concluded that the argument by the University Administration of Professor A. S. Adagbonyin that it loves the students is spurious and baseless as students are disillusioned under it, not certain about their future and certificates, extorted with reckless abandon under the present administration while the incoming ones are being made to pay increased school fees in the face of other increased charges such as transcript processing in its new commercialization of education agenda.
“Let the University Administration of Professor A. S. Adagbonyin be assured that our Union will not waiver in its struggle to ensure a good university system in AAU, Ekpoma. No measure of campaign of calumny and denial orchestrated by Professor A. S. Adagbonyin as Acting Vice Chancellor will deter us.
“It will interest the University Administration led by Professor A. S. Adagbonyin to note that the solidarity rally was a huge success with the attendance/presence of National Officers of ASUU and very many Zones and Branches.
It is on record too that the rally held successfully, peacefully and was well attended. How else does he want to measure the success, despite the campaign of calumny and denial of the University’s facilities orchestrated by him to scuttle the event? We know that the Professor A. S. Adagbonyin prides himself on having connections with those in the corridors of power, but we like to appeal that AAU, Ekpoma is an institution of higher learning and must be administered as such” the union declared.
