Gov. Umahi threatens ASUU Again As Lingering Crises deepens
By Chinwe Onwosi
The National Vice President ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has raised concern over the continuous verbal attack and Threat by the Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi on the Chairman EBSU ASUU, Ikechukwu Igwenyi.
Prof. Osodeke told Newsmen after rising from a meeting with Umahi, Visitor of Ebonyi State University , EBSU, that the aim of the meeting was defeated when Gov. Umahi digressed from discussing major EBSU shortcomings
The ASUU Vice president also condemned in its entirety the situation where the state University operates without a governing council as it was dissolved two months ago, and has not been re-constituted.
These issues and the outstanding five months salary of the varsity lecturers, is said to deepen the crises between ASUU and Umahi as the meeting aimed at reconciling their differences ended in a deadlock.
Recall that The chairman of ASUU in Ebonyi state university comrd. Ikechukwu Igwenyi had raised an alarm alleging a threat to his life and property by the state government for carrying out his union’s activities.
The Voice Authoritatively Gathered that the Governor allegedly sent an army of hoodlums led by some of his aides to invade the chairman’s family compound at Mebi-Owa Okposi in Ohaozara LGA and Abakaliki metropolis.
The ASUU-EBSU chairman is currently living in hiding with his family.
The ASUU team leader Osodeke, said the congress of the university will meet on Wednesday to finalize and brief the National Union on the next action.
“We came here because of the shortcomings affecting our members in Ebonyi state university and we believe that since the university didn’t have the governing council we could relate with, we should meet with the visitor.
“The governing council of the university was dissolved two months ago and has not been reconstituted. So, we came to see the visitor since there is no governing council.
“The issues we raised, minor issues of personality and persons became the major issue rather than the issues affecting EBSU and that was why the meeting ended on a DEADLOCK.
” Instead of talking about EBSU, we are talking about EBSU-ASUU Chairman and calling him a boy and saying that he is abusing him(the visitor) and therefore he the visitor will not relate with the Chairman anymore.
“So, the meeting ended in a deadlock. We will meet with the congress tomorrow, they will make their decisions and then we will brief our National and they will make a decision.
“The threat against ASUU-EBSU Chairman was repeated today by the Governor that if anything happens here, he will be held responsible
Reacting to the development, the state commissioner for Education in the state Dr. Onyebuchi Chima explained that the team from ASUU was not prepared before coming to the state government and asked them to gather their facts before coming to the state government.
“I am also a member of ASUU in my university. I will only say that what happened today is a show of unpreparedness on the part of ASUU and part of those that came. The information the people that came were fed was erroneous. Before they came, not even the Ministry of Education is aware of their coming, not the SSA on higher education was aware, not even the university. You don’t go to the visitor first without first of all finding out what is the issue. They do not have information, their prior information is malicious.
“As far as I am concerned, the people that came were not prepared. Before you go to court, you must get your facts right and get your evidence correct. So, I am sure they will visit the university and get their facts right before coming to the visitor. There is no threat to anybody, I didn’t see anybody that came out of the meeting without smiling. Anybody saying somebody threatens, cannot negotiate”, Chima said.
