Academic staff of the newly-upgraded Tayo Akpata University of Technology, Ekiadolor, Edo State, are differing with the state government on the real status of the “new school.”
They are also lamenting the sloppy take-off of the institution, which was upgraded from a college of education to university.
Chairman of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Fred Omonuwa, who pointed out that members of the union should have by now become members of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), added that “there is nothing to show that Tayo Akpata University has come to stay.”
The union leader added that, “… As we speak now, we can’t admit new students as College of Education nor as Tayo Akpata University. There is a stalemate presently at Tayo Akpata University over identity question and paucity of funds.
“All the hues and cries about Tayo Akpata University is for political reasons, and from all indications, the Edo State House of Assembly had repealed the law establishing the College of Education, Ekiadolor, but the worst of all is that there is no money as subvention to the new university. We don’t have license to operate; we are not receiving salaries and clearing of overgrown grasses is a problem. We have an identity problem whether we are staff of College of Education, Ekiadolor or Tayo Akpata University.”
Omonuwa said while the Edo State Univeristy at Iyamho has license to operate, the so-called Tayo Akpata University does not have a license to operate; the governing council of Tayo Akpata is supposed to go for the procurement of license, but that was not what happened with that of Edo State University Iyamho. At Iyamho the government got the license and the governing council thereafter emerged, why is the reserve the case here?
“As we speak I can tell that there is subvention lying down but there is no IGR to pay, we have not received salary for three months. And we are aware that workers at the Edo University Iyamho are receiving salaries,” he added.
Commissioner for Education, Gideon Obakhan, in his reaction to the issues said in a text message that, “No lecturer has been employed in Tayo Akpata University and therefore no salary is being owed. The governing council has just been inaugurated and they have started doing their job.”
