Edo Assembly decorates Obaseki as the Emperor of AAU

By DADA AYOKHAI

 
The 10- man Edo State House of Assembly led by its Speaker, Rt Hon Marcus Onobun, has enacted a new bill which more or less makes the state owned Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, a satellite of the Government House. 

The new bill, tagged "Special intervention Powers for the Visitor", which enjoyed accelerated passage from the first reading to the third reading on the floor of the assembly on the same day, has already been assented to by the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki

An examination of the contents of the new bill hurriedly passed by the assembly, invests the state governor with so much powers to the extent of directing the day - to - day affairs of the varsity.

 For instance, the new bill which is already a law, allows the governor to suspend any or all substantive principal officer(s) of the varsity from office for a period of time covered by the special intervention powers. 


It also confers on the Visitor to the varsity, in this case, the governor, powers to appoint interim officers for the day- to- day management of the varsity as well as to grant approvals for all financial expenditures over and above the approval limits of the special intervention team.

In less than 24 hours after he assented to the new bill, Gov Obaseki, to test his new found powers, dissolved the governing council of the varsity and proceeded to appoint a Benin born professor from the University of Benin, Prof Benson Osadolor  as the new vice chancellor of the institution.

 Meanwhile, activities at Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, is presently grounded as a result of the strike embarked upon by both the academic and non academic staff of the institution over unpaid salaries and emoluments. 


The state government has since turned deaf ears to pleads by the striking workers for the settlement of wage arrears being owed them. 

Critics have labeled the new law as "draconian", saying it invested the state governor with enormous powers at the detriment of the Varsity's governing council. 

They contended that in saner climes, the Council exercises considerable measure of control on the Varsity's administration, adding that what the Visitor does is to step in when the need arises and not to be saddled with the day- to- day affairs of the varsity.

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