The fast previous Performing Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli College (AAU), Ekpoma, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin, on Sunday refuted claims that his administration obtained directives from former Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to reinstate two employees members disengaged by the defunct Particular Intervention Workforce (SIT) however did not implement them.
Adagbonyin spoke in Benin whereas reacting to a web-based publication titled “Reinstatement of Sacked Lecturers: Governor Okpebholo’s Stance is Unassailable” credited to 1 Nosa Ekhator.
Within the report, Nosa quoted Otunba Mike Aladenika, Principal Assistant Registrar and Head of Data, Public Relations, and Protocol of Ambrose Alli College, as stating that directives to reinstate the 2 lecturers, disengaged by the SIT throughout Obaseki’s tenure, had been issued to the college administration however weren’t carried out “as a consequence of an absence of political will.”
Adagbonyin clarified that whereas he most popular to stay silent on many points surrounding the SIT’s disengagement of the employees, it was important to right the misperception that the destiny of the 2 disengaged employees rested with the college administration.
“The enterprise of hiring, firing, and recalling employees didn’t (and doesn’t) lie within the fingers of the college administration however in that of the Governing Council, and on this circumstance, the Particular Intervention Workforce (SIT), which had relieved the employees of their appointments ab initio, as their letters of disengagement clearly said,” Adagbonyin defined.
The previous Performing Vice-Chancellor emphasised that he was unaware of any directive issued to his administration by the Governor or the SIT past a press launch by the previous Governor’s Particular Adviser on Media Initiatives, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, which condemned the SIT’s actions on the time.
“However all of us heard what the Governor mentioned when he responded to calls to rescind the disengagement of the employees throughout his go to to the college on March 16, 2023, days after Mr. Crusoe made the press launch. I didn’t hear the Governor give administration any particular directive to reinstate the employees.
“Simply as he spoke about winding up the actions of the SIT inside 90 days, he categorically said that it might not be attainable to rescind the SIT’s determination on the 2 employees members with out understanding the main points of why the SIT made the choice within the first place. In his phrases, ‘I don’t suppose that’s the proper option to govern.’ Observe that he subsequently arrange a committee,” Adagbonyin famous.
Adagbonyin expressed curiosity in seeing any memo—if it existed—directing his administration to recall the sacked employees.
He additionally challenged anybody to current proof of sanctions imposed on his administration for allegedly missing the “political will” to implement the governor’s directives, noting that it might be inconceivable to flout a governor’s order with out penalties.
“What’s political will within the face of presidency directives?” he requested. “It’s unusual, very unusual certainly! We’re not in workplace, however we’re sure we stored a file of all that transpired throughout our tenure. Actually, directives to reinstate the 2 disengaged employees weren’t amongst them.”
