Striking lecturers at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State have rejected the appointment of two acting deputy vice chancellors, Prof. Theo Agweda and Prof. Marshall Azeke who were recently announced as acting deputy vice chancellor, administration and academic respectively by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
In a joint statement by the Chairman, Dr. Cyril Onogbosele and the assistant secretary, Dr. William Odion of the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chairman, they maintained that the appointment was unprocedural, irregular, objectionable and unacceptable.
Onogbosele and Odion urged Governor Obaseki to allow the relevant provisions of the laws of the University to prevail in the appointment of the two acting deputy vice chancellors.
It would be recalled that the governor had last February 8 approved the appointment of Prof. Sunny Adagbonyi as acting vice-chancellor in place of Prof. Benson Osadolor while Prof. Theo Agweda and Prof. Marshall Azeke were appointed as acting deputy vice chancellors.
According to the chairman and the scribe, the lecturers all agreed at a meeting on March 3, 2022 that the contentious Ambrose Alli University (Special Intervention Powers) Provisions Law 2021 with which the visitor dispensed with Prof. Osadolor and appointed a new acting vice chancellor and two acting deputy vice chancellors made no provision(s) for the governor who is the institution’s visitor to appoint deputy vice chancellors as he has done.
They observed that even the controversial Special Intervention Law did not in any way empower the governor to appoint acting deputy vice chancellors for the state owned school.
The chairman and the scribe said that the Special Intervention Law only permitted the visitor to among other power appoint an interim vice chancellor, an interim bursar, an interim registrar and an interim university librarian.
The duo added that the special power of the visitor to appoint such interim principal officers is contained in Part I Section 2(c) of the Special Intervention Powers Provisions Law 2021 of the University.
The unionists faulted the governor: “The Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma Law 1999 (As Amended) made abundantly clear the procedure for the appointment of deputy vice chancellors for the university in Schedule 4 Section 1 subsection 1 (a-b) which specifically states that when a vacancy occurs in the office of a deputy vice chancellor, provost of a campus, registrar or bursar, the manner of appointment shall be by the council on the recommendation of the vice chancellor after consultation with the Senate.”
