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Francis Onoiribholo
Vice Chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Professor Sunday Olowo Samuel, has declared that the institution would soon enjoy uninterrupted power supply, saying Governor Monday Okpebholo approved 1.5megawatts of alternative power for the institution.
Besides the 1.5 megawatts, according to the VC, the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) has also approved construction of solar plants for the institution.
This is coming, just as the Vice Chancellor announced that the man found killed and dumped inside a bush in the institution was not a student of the University.
The AAU VC, who spoke at a press briefing in Ekpoma, said the incident made the institution to increase security presence and barred students from driving their cars into the campus.
According to him, investigation showed that the deceased was brought into the campus fromp0 Ubiaja while the suspects responsible for the killing have been arrested and transferred to the State CID.
Prof. Samuel told journalists that he had keyed into the institutiion’s founding fathers to restore its glory and make it a world class University.
He stated that the increased subvention of N500m enabled the university to address some of the financial backlog inherited from the previous administrations.
Among the financial backlog, he said, were prompt payment of salaries, pension and the implementation of the new minimum wage, reinstatement of those he termed
politically sacked staff and restoration of some staff’s name into the university’s payroll.
The VC also stated that the institution entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology (JLICT) and Mutual Commitment Company Limited for Student Exchange Programs such as undergraduate overseas study opportunities, Faculty Exchange Programs, Cross-training and capacity building for academic staff, amongst others.
He said, “This partnership is poised to transfer technology, enhance academic opportunities, and provide scholarships, among other mutual benefits. Its implementation is already being worked out by the Edo State Government.
“The prompt payment of salaries to staff and pensions to pensioners has been the hallmark of my administration. This also motivated my administration to immediately implement the new minimum wage of #70,000 as soon as it was approved by the Governing Council.
“Thousands of graduates faced blocked JAMB profiles or regularisation challenges, preventing them from participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
“Through divine intervention and the tireless efforts of key stakeholders, especially the people-oriented Governor of Edo State and the Honourable Commissioner for Education, these issues have now been fully resolved.
“Affected graduates can now proceed with NYSC mobilisation, while other related cases are being addressed seamlessly.
“All graduates will receive their certificates immediately after graduation. Additionally, long-standing issues with transcript applications have been addressed, and implementation is ongoing to ensure alumni satisfaction. This reform marks a turning point in the University’s commitment to excellent service delivery.”
“For the first time in its history, the University has resolved the issue of missing results, effective from the 2023/2024 session. Students could access their results in all registered courses before registering for the new session.
“This milestone was achieved through commendable staff cooperation and the unwavering support of University Management. Backlogs from previous sessions are also being actively resolved.
“The administration successfully facilitated the lifting of the TETFund ban previously placed on AAU, Ekpoma. This ban had deprived staff of access to funding for academic development.
“With the embargo lifted, staff can now benefit from sponsorship for conferences, capacity-building programmes, and research activities, restoring lost opportunities. Special appreciation to the Directorate of Academic Planning for the efforts in this regard.”
On the Progress on College of Medicine Issues, he said the significant strides have been made in resolving inherited challenges in the College of Medicine.
“This includes the successful swearing-in and Oath-taking Ceremony of Set 18 Medical Doctors (2020/2021 session), induction of 810 Nurses, and resolution of the MLS Students’ Indexing and Examination challenges caused by excess admissions.
“On NMCN Approval for Nursing Science Programme, the University recently secured the approval of the Nursing Council to commence admissions into the Nursing Science programme with a quota of 120 students in the 2024/2025 session.
“The final approval from the NUC is being awaited by the University. Management is committed to strictly maintaining the quota to avoid the mistakes of the past. The University is also awaiting final approval to resume admission into the Medicine and Surgery programme.
Speaking on the Promotion of Professors, Associate Professors and non-teaching staff, a major academic milestone, he said the University Management approved the promotion of 57 staff to Professor and 56 to Associate Professor.
“Also, this administration released the 2022, 2023 and 2024 promotions for all categories of staff (academic, non-teaching and junior). This development marks a renewed commitment to academic career progression and recognition of scholarly contributions”.
The Vice Chancellor also spoke on the Reinstatement of the politically sacked staff of the University.
According to him, “In line with the directives of the Executive Governor of Edo State, Distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo, all politically sacked staff by the defunct Special Intervention Team (SIT) has been reinstated. This is a demonstration of our commitment to justice and the rule of law.
“Restoration of the removed staff’s name into the University’s payroll: Due to the controversial biometric exercise conducted by the defunct Special Intervention Team (SIT), a lot of staff have had their names removed from the University’s payroll.
“All staff members who were removed from the payroll due to the controversial biometric exercise conducted by the defunct Special Intervention Team (SIT) have been reinstated”.
On the Collaboration with International Institutions, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, said he attended the World Vocational and Technical Education Development Conference in Tianjin, China, from 17th to 26th November 2024 with full sponsorship from the State Government.
“Nigeria was represented by three Universities in this world Conference, and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, was among them” he said.