THE Management of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma in Edo state Monday carpeted the leadership of the school’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its on-going strike where the union said the students should hold the management of the university responsible for its strike action.
A statement by the spokesman of the University, Edward Aihevba urged the union to eschew pursuing personal vendetta on the person of Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo assuring that effort were on by the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki to address the current funding situation at the university.
Aihevba also gave reasons for the inability of management of the university to meet up with all its financial obligations.
He said: “In March, 2020 the subvention coming to the university from the State Government, dropped to less than half of what it used to be. In September 2020, it further dropped to less than one-quarter of its former level.
“The sudden adverse financial situation in the university was complicated by the fact that from March 2020, the Covid-19 lockdown coupled with the National ASUU strike kept students out of the University till February, 2021.
“This made Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which was used to augment subvention for the payment of salaries, to be totally unavailable.
“The University Management had managed to pay salaries by prudent management of the subvention and IGR up till March 2020. When subvention dropped drastically and at the same time IGR dropped during Covid-19, the University Management was still able by dint of prudent Management to pay net salary up till December, 2020. The University Management should be commended for this feat.”he said.
He lamented that ASUU leadership in the institution rather than commend the visionary leadership of the VC had gone to trade blames on the University Management for the outstanding payments.
“The public should be made aware that the generality of the staff knows where the problem lies, and that it is definitely not the Management. The State Governor and Visitor to the university have promised to make a statement at the end of April 2021 to redress the current funding situation.”
Advertise or Publish a Story on Nationnewslead: Kindly contact us @ Nationnewslead@gmail.com Call or Whatsapp: 08168544205, 07055577376
