For the third consecutive month, Senator Monday Okpebebholo has failed to redeem his N500m monthly subvention pledge to the State-owned varsity, Ambrose Alli University (AAU).
Senator Okpebholo had opposed the restructuring of AAU by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration, which aimed at ensuring the university’s financial self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability, and in a desperate bid to score cheap political points, promised a N500 million monthly subvention to the institution.
However, three months after Okpebholo’s grandstanding, not a single kobo has been disbursed to the university as subvention.
We are also aware that, as of today, March 7th, 2025, the staff and management of the state-owned university have not been paid their February salaries.
We have uncovered growing anger and disquiet within the university community over the reinstatement of certain staff members who were previously indicted in clear cases of sexual harassment, abuse of students, examination malpractices, extortion, transcript/admission and certificate racketeering.
The university community, including lecturers, students, and other stakeholders, have continually expressed outrage, insisting that if any reinstatements must occur within the university, they should never involve persons with well-documented and proven records of sexual misconduct.
We are specifically worried that the past few months under Senator Okpebholo have been characterized by empty promises and regression across various sectors of the State’s economy. The rapid deterioration being witnessed in the education sector today has also spilled over into other critical areas, such as security, where at least 35 people have been killed in the last two weeks, and the health sector, where even the most basic medical consumables are unavailable, to infrastructure, power, and technology, among others.
These setbacks are even more disheartening given the unprecedented progress the State witnessed over the last eight years.
