UEW: Afful-Broni is legitimate VC; arrest Avoke for trespassing - Education Minister
There is only one Vice-Chancellor at the University of Education, Winneba, and that is Rev. Professor Afful-Broni, the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has said.
“Anybody who does not understand that must go through the legal process. We are not going to accept such,” he insisted, adding that until then, “we have one legal and legitimate Vice-Chancellor at the University of Education, Winneba, and that is Rev. Prof. Afful-Broni”.
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Lawlessness
Dr Prempeh, who had initially declined to comment on the impasse on the campus of the UEW, said “as a responsible minister” he had to.
He said he was surprised that the police did not arrest Prof. Mawutor Avoke for trespassing when he went to the UEW to address the media, adding that Ghana was not a lawless country where anybody could get up and do anything he or she wanted.
“If this country wants to go the lawless way, somebody can get up from somewhere and come to the Jubilee House and say ‘I’m the President’,” Dr Prempeh said in response to a question at the meet-the-press series in Accra on the disturbances at the UEW and what needed to be done before the resumption of academic work for the 2019/20 academic year.
Attempted take-over
Prof. Avoke last Tuesday stormed the UEW campus, in the company of some staff of the university who had been sacked for various infractions, “to assume their rightful positions, knowing that there was no court prohibition on them and that no notice of indictment had been levelled against them by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO)”.
His attempt to address the media at the University Council Chamber was disrupted by the Winneba District Police Command. He, however, later addressed the media in front of the entrance to the UEW, during which he said he had allowed a sustained probe into a number of allegations levelled against him and five others but EOCO concluded that they had neither abused their offices nor violated any procurement processes.
No basis
“These allegations formed the basis on which we were removed from office and it is interesting to note that these dismissals were made despite the pendency of the case at the Supreme Court,” Prof. Avoke said.
He noted that they were committed to sustaining an enabling environment and working together with all relevant stakeholders, adding: “During our press conference on April 16, 2019, I made it clear that I have forgiven Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni and Prof. Nicholas Abakah, the Chairman of the immediate past Governing Council, for the roles they played in the impasse.”
The right way
But Dr Prempeh disagreed with the option taken by Prof. Avoke, saying that even if he had any genuine concerns, there were laid down procedures which he needed to have followed and that somebody needed to have led him.
“You can challenge the process, you can go to court; and even if you win, it has to be executed. It is all through legal means. We are not a lawless state and that is all I can say,” he added.
University denounces action
Meanwhile, the management of the UEW has urged students, parents, staff, alumni and all other stakeholders to treat with contempt
any suggestion that there had been a change of the vice-chancellor of the university.
According to the university, Rev. Prof. Afful-Broni was still at post, contrary to some mischievous reports circulating in the mainstream media and on social media that the dismissed Prof. Avoke had taken over his former position.
A statement signed by the Registrar of the UEW, Mr Paul Osei-Barimah, assured stakeholders that the university premises were open, safe and secure for business, saying that all administrative and academic activities, including the sandwich session which commenced last Monday, were going on in earnest.
“We urge all stakeholders to remain calm and further indicate that the university will, in due course, keep the public abreast of any development in the university,” it said.
Reinstatement of Prof. Avoke
In a related development, members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), UEW Chapter, in a strongly worded statement, has described the press release issued last Tuesday by its President, Dr Frimpong Kaakyire Duku, as weird, scandalous and frivolous aimed at reinstating Prof. Avoke and some other dismissed staff of the university.
The statement, signed by Mr Eric Nketsiah, on behalf of UTAG-UEW members, indicated categorically that the press release represented the personal parochial views of Dr Duku and his executive members and did not arise from the majority or concensus decision of the entire UEW.
According to the release, Dr Duku’s behaviour of tacitly supporting the barging into office of Prof. Avoke and the other dismissed staff reinforced the fact that the University Council’s earlier decision to dismiss him for acts of gross misconduct was well thought out and deservedly applied.
Visit to campus
Meanwhile, there is still heavy security presence on the North Campus of the UEW, led by the Swedru Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Samuel Yankey.
Policemen have been well positioned in front of the administration block, apparently to foil any attack and ensure peace and sanity at the university.
When the Daily Graphic went to the campus around 10:30 a.m. yesterday, there was relative calm on the North Campus and staff were going about their normal duties, while lectures for sandwich students were taking place as planned.