Management from AAU meets with SUG over the suspension of academic activity

To prevent a breakdown in communication with the university, the SUG asked SIT and management for their understanding of a routine interface as necessary.

The Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Students’ Union Government (SUG) Caretaker Committee and the institution’s Special Intervention Team (SIT) have agreed to work out a peaceful solution to the university’s protracted issue.

Ogbewi Liberty, the interim chairman of the SUG, revealed this while providing an update on the crisis at a news conference in Benin on Friday.

“We are moving in the right direction. Our meeting with SIT was a significant and successful endeavour.

As I speak with you, the intervention team has given its tacit agreement to our three-point demand, which was laid out in our document from September.

He claimed that the union, among other things, asked the institution to publish all of the payable fees and add-ons in order to prevent rumours and disinformation.

The SUG also asked for a prompt restart of communication with university administration to address contentious issues.

It also required the University Senate to reopen the facility within 72 hours, according to Liberty.

In order to prevent a breakdown in communication with the university, he claimed that SUG obtained the approval of SIT and management for a routine interface as necessary.

“Now that communication has been resumed, we aim to find solutions to all the outstanding problems.

“SIT also gave us the assurance that the subject of resumption will be reviewed with the university administration with a view to calling the University Senate to address the same, right away.

“Deepening the level of negotiation and interface is our obligation.

“We plan to meet with student departmental leaders to have a thorough knowledge of any issues outside of those we are already addressing.

“On some of the add-ons, I can see that the EDOHIS component of the fee is statutory as other state-owned institutions and is variously captured alongside AAU,” the man added.

The State Government of Edo introduced the Edo Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS) for all of the state’s students.

Students reportedly demonstrated recently against the purported increase in tuition, with the SUG leading a days-long blockade of the university gate, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The SUG was disbanded by the school administration, who denied any tuition cost increases, and accused it of endangering public peace and security through its operations.