Tension Grips Ambrose Alli University Over Visitation Panel

Tension is brewing in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo state, following the visitation panel set up by the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki, to look into the activities of the management of the institution.

It was gathered that the panel is being seen as an avenue to remove the current Vice Chancellor,  Ignatius Onimawo, who many believe has fallen out of favour with the governor.

It was learnt that the source of the tension are some of the correspondences between the University and the government which are in the possession of the pane!.

They have to do with failure to pay full staff salaries since February 2020, illegal bank loans to the tune of N1.2billion and check off dues owed workers to the tune of N1.6billion as at September 28.

However the strike action by the non-academic staff in public universities who on Monday commenced a 14-day warning strike with their colleagues in the Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU) who have been on strike since March this year may slow down the process.

According to a source, all  documents relating to the allegations of corruption over mismanagement of funds by the University arising from lack of statistics on the actual regular and non regular students, among others may not been available to the panel.

He added that the panel may not been able  to access the financial documents to examine the finances of the university, as regards to revenue generation, expenditure transparency, accountability and observance of due process among others.

Meanwhile, the panel term of reference include,  examining details of the mode of employment and promotions at the university with a view to determining the recruitment and promotion,  whether the staff strength and carrying capacity of student’s population of the institution is balanced among other terms of reference.