By joshua 
ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma Rejects Special Intervention Team Report
FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), AAU, Ekpoma Chapter on sunday rejected the report by the Special Intervention Team (SIT) of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State and the Governor’s praise of their performance.
A statement signed by Dr. Cyril Onogbosele and Dr. William Odion, the Chairperson and the Assistant Secretary of the university’s chapter of ASUU respectively described the report as “a gross misrepresentation of facts, a slap on the face of truth and a desperate attempt by SIT to justify their illegality and cover up their failures”.
The Union stated that since SIT was constituted in May 2021 by Edo State Government to illegally play the role of a governing council in the University, with a view to sourcing for funds for the University, repositioning it and ensuring industrial harmony among other things, the endpoint of their performance is abysmal failure.
“Why should they be commended by the Governor when their reign in the University was characterized by impunities, dehumanization and victimization of staff and students, denial of workers’ right to appropriate wages, poor funding of the University, industrial disharmony and erosion of university’s culture and ethos?” – the Union queried.
The Union also decried the continued stay of SIT in the University when their tenure expired since November 2022 in violation of the SIT Law and the University’s autonomy.
The claims by SIT of clearing eight (8) months of outstanding salaries of staff were debunked by the Union, describing them as patently false and misleading.
According to ASUU, “The University is still in default of payment of salaries of some staff for twenty nine (29) months while others are being owed varying numbers of months of unpaid salaries up to May 2024.
In addition, check-off dues and welfare savings of members of ASUU and other staff unions in the University deducted by the University Administrations from September 2020 to November 2021 have not been remitted to the Unions.
The Union also described as false the claim by the SIT of employing qualified staff to fill identified gaps in the University.
According to the Union, “SIT’s style of employment of staff in the University was a farce. In their recruitments, they set aside the University’s Law and Regulations, and foisted on the employees alien conditions of service and prohibitions on joining any trade union.These are verifiable” – the Union said.