ASUU Accuses Ambrose Alli University of Insensitivity: A Crisis in University Autonomy

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the management of the crisis-ridden Ambrose Alli University (AAU) of being insensitive to the worsening crisis in the university.

The accusation came after the university’s management responded to a press conference held by the leadership of the ASUU, AAU chapter.

The university’s head of corporate communications and protocol, Otunba Mike Aladenika, stated that the institution had always seen responding to ASUU press conferences as “a big distraction, if not a total waste of time.”

In response, the leadership of the ASUU, AAU chapter, expressed disappointment over the university’s reaction, which they described as an embellished rhetoric lacking in rigour.

ASUU pointed out several issues that the university administration has failed to address, including the assault on university autonomy, administrative highhandedness, impunity, and the victimization of staff.

The union also raised concerns about the erosion of the university’s ethos of due process, rule of law, and academic freedom.

The union further alleged that the university has been involved in fraudulent activities, including the graduation of over thirty students based overseas and large-scale certificate and academic transcript racketeering.

Additionally, the union accused the university of tax invasion by staff, amounting to over N2 billion.

ASUU also questioned the legality of all activities by the Special Intervention Team (SIT) as a result of the expiration of its tenure since November 2022.

The union emphasized that the university administration has not addressed the stoppage of salaries of some academic staff, selective payment of salaries, non-payment of outstanding/withheld salaries, and the non-issuance of payslips.

The media has been urged to ask the university administration to address these issues and to shed light on the unresolved matter of outstanding salaries/withheld salaries of staff over the ASUU’s national strike action between February 14, 2022, and October 16, 2022.

As the crisis at Ambrose Alli University continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the university administration will respond to the accusations made by the ASUU and whether they will take steps to address the concerns raised by the union.