There are emerging insinuations that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had sacked the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof. Benson Osadolor, because of his refusal to carry out certain orders on reforms in the university to ease the state government from further funding of the university. This is in addition to the persistent agitation by the staff of the ASUU branch in Ambrose Alli University for the 16 months outstanding salary and other allowances owed the university workers by the Edo State Government.
It was disclosed that the former vice chancellor has been under pressure to retrench workers in the university and reduce the staff strength by 50%, increase school fees to generate revenue internally to pay staff salaries and prevent funding of the school by the state government. Other directives the government issued the former VC that he did not enforce were identified to include giving free hand to the Special Intervention Team (SIT) to control the day-to-day management of the university, being confrontational with the Academic Staff Union of the University (ASUU) as the Acting Vice-Chancellor, etc.
The governor was said to have considered it demeaning that ASUU won a suit against the state government in court over the imposition of staff biometrics handled by the Edo State Government House ICT department.
Thereafter, the former VC was compelled to resign which he declined. Governor Obaseki was said to have invoked his executive powers to sack the VC from office.
Prof Ignatius Onimawo, a member of the newly constituted SIT, was appointed the new VC of the AUU, Ekpoma, to succeed Prof. Benson Osadolor.