Obaseki inaugurates eight-man governing council to reposition AAU

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has inaugurated eight-member Governing Council for the state-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma.

He urged the council members to work towards repositioning the university into a world-class institution.

He expressed concern at the falling standard in the university, which was the second state-owned university that was established in Nigeria.

Obaseki said the high-quality standard set by the institution 34 years ago had waned over the years, which showed that urgent action is needed to address the situation.

He said: “The mandate of the institution is to teach, carry out research and provide services to the community. After 34 years of its establishment, these expectations have not been met. We have reduced the university to one that is driven by political agents of whoever is in government.”

The governor assured members of the council of his administration’s support in ensuring that they succeed in the task of repositioning the institution.

He explained: “We spend over N300 million monthly on the university and we are ready to put more money on infrastructure. But we will not do so until we are convinced that government arrangement in the university is the right one that can properly manage the resources.”

He urged the council to work with the government to ensure the setting up of a visitation panel to review and understand what went wrong in the university.

The governor explained that the state government was working on developing an education policy, which would be unveiled in the coming weeks.

“This policy will emphasise basic education which is the foundation to prepare our children for the challenges of life. The move is a fundamental shift from what obtained in the last 30 years,” he said.

Chairman of the governing council, Mr. Lawson Omokhodion, lauded the governor for the confidence ireposed in the members, and promised that the members will put in their best to make it one of the best universities in the world.