Your Excellency,
Senator Monday Okpebholo
Governor of Edo State
Call for Urgent Intervention in the Governance of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma
Your Excellency,
With utmost respect, and with a solemn sense of duty to truth, justice, and posterity, we write to draw your attention to the grave irregularities surrounding the recent advertisement and recruitment exercise for principal officers of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. We commend your administration’s efforts to reposition the University, which had been severely undermined by the so-called Special Intervention Team (SIT) of the previous administration, and your decision to release and increase monthly subvention as part of the rebuilding process.
It has now become a matter of public concern that the Governing Council of the University, under the chairmanship of Chief Dan Orbih, has conducted itself in a manner grossly inconsistent with the principles of transparency, fairness, and accountability. The recruitment process for the Vice-Chancellor, Bursar, University Librarian, and Auditor has been tainted by irregularities, favoritism, and ethnic bias. Allegations abound that candidates from Kogi and Ekiti States were deliberately favored along partisan and personal lines, to the detriment of merit and equity.
Your Excellency’s directive to the Governing Council a few days ago to repeat the interview process stands as a commendable attestation of your unwavering commitment to justice, equity, and the rule of law. It reflects both the legal principle that no process tainted by bias can stand, and the eternal truth of Scripture that “a false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight” (Proverbs 11:1).
Regrettably, under the current Chairman, the process was not only manipulated but executed in a manner that mocked the dignity of the University and insulted the intelligence of the people of Edo State. We are reliably informed that the Registrar — who by law serves as Secretary to Council — was excluded from crucial stages of the process. Reports further indicate that monetary inducements exchanged hands, qualified candidates were disqualified, and those who resisted were maligned with derogatory labels. By what logic, Your Excellency, should the oldest state-owned University in Nigeria be reduced to a playground for partisan manipulation and private greed?
Even more troubling is the undue delay in carrying out the re-interview as directed by Your Excellency. Such delay has further eroded public confidence and strengthened the perception that the present Council has failed Edo State. We note with concern the report that the Chairman threatened to resign if the interview was cancelled. If this is true, the path of honour is clear: he should resign without delay. We recall that University Councils in Nsukka, Abuja, Awka, and other Federal institutions were dissolved for infractions far less grievous than those alleged here, where money, nepotism, and manipulation, rather than merit, determined outcomes.
Equally disturbing are allegations that close associates and relatives of the Chairman were imposed as Bursar and Internal Auditor — positions not duly advertised — alongside a Librarian from Ekiti State. These appointments, we are told, are designed to facilitate access to TETFUND contracts allegedly linked to his private company, Billmax, located in Abuja. Other Council members are also alleged to have submitted proposals for contract execution. If true, this is not only reckless administration but a gross betrayal of public trust and a desecration of higher education in Edo State. Your Excellency, may we respectfully ask: were you consulted on the release of the TETFUND white papers and on the involvement of these private interests in our State institution?
In law, it is a cardinal principle that nemo judex in causa sua — no one may sit in judgment over a matter in which he has an interest. Chief Dan Orbih, having presided over a flawed and compromised process, cannot in good conscience superintend its rectification. In philosophy, it is axiomatic that the means must be as noble as the end. And in Scripture, justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done, for “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
Your Excellency, we are further disturbed by reports that the Chairman of Council, in a display of arbitrary power, allegedly suspended the outgoing Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Onofua, even before your official letter to the University Council was read. This raises profound constitutional, legal, and psychological concerns. Such an act is ultra vires, as the Council Chairman lacks unilateral authority to suspend a union leader, and it undermines the principles of natural justice and due process. Psychologically, it reflects a dictatorial leadership style reminiscent of a military regime, creating an atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and institutional paralysis. Far from fostering stability, such authoritarian conduct risks provoking industrial unrest and deepening crisis — thereby setting the stage, perhaps deliberately, for political manipulation designed to embarrass your administration and enthrone partisan advantage for the PDP.
Beyond the flawed recruitment, we must also highlight the collapse of academic management under the present Council. A semester that should ordinarily last three months is now extended to seven months at Ambrose Alli University — an aberration that has distorted the academic calendar, turning one session effectively into a single semester. This not only undermines academic standards but also raises serious financial questions, as students’ fees for an entire session are exhausted within one semester. How, then, will the University fund the second semester when all fees have already been collected and spent? This is clear evidence of poor financial and administrative management which should not be allowed to persist.
We therefore humbly but firmly urge Your Excellency, in the interest of fairness, justice, and the integrity of Edo State’s educational system, to courageously and decisively remove the current Chairman of the Governing Council. An unbiased and independent body should be constituted to oversee the recruitment of principal officers, in accordance with global best practices and in line with the noble aspirations of our people.
Such decisive action will not only restore credibility to the University system but will also reaffirm your administration’s covenant with truth, justice, and equity — the principles upon which enduring legacies are built.
Respectfully submitted,
Ayemenre Godwin and Seun Umar
Washington D.C., USA
