Return Your Mercedes Benz – Suspended Wa poly Rector Ordered

Professor Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu

The Wa Polytechnic Governing Council has ordered the institution’s suspended Rector, Professor Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu, to park his five hundred thousand Ghana Cedis Mercedes Benz, that is at the centre of protests by lecturers of the school.

Last Monday, some angry lecturers at the Wa Polytechnic prevented Prof. Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu from accessing the campus and subsequently his office.

Among other things, the lecturers have alleged that the embattled rector procured the vehicle for himself without approval from the Governing Council.

Speaking to Citi News, the Chairman of the Wa Polytechnic Governing Council, Daniel Bagah Debagah, said the independent committee set up to investigate the allegations would start its work soon.

“The Mercedes Benz is at the centre of the allegations leveled against him. We have asked that an independent committee goes into the allegations. So once the Mercedes Benz is in the centre of it, we are saying that he should pack it and be using whatever car he was using before then.”

He said: “…we are expecting to get a report from the committee in the next two weeks.”

Background

Prof. Owusu was suspended by a special committee comprising members of the Polytechnic Governing Council, who were tasked to investigate allegations of financial mismanagement leveled against him.

He has however filed a suit seeking to quash his suspension.

Prior to a ruling on his suit, there was chaos at the Polytechnic after some staff locked out Professor Marfo-Owusu, and chased him out of the campus, accusing him of intimidating workers among other things.

The Chairman of the Wa Polytechnic chapter of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), Mubash Bamie, speaking on behalf of teaching and non-teaching staff of the school, maintained that Prof. Owusu does not deserve to serve in that position given that he had been indicted in some corrupt deals.

Mr. Bamie said workers will repeat a similar action if the Rector returns, saying “if he comes we will block the roads again.”

I won’t fight Wa Poly lecturers

Prof.  Marfo-Owusu, had earlier said he will not be drawn into any personal confrontation with lecturers of the institution.

Professor Marfo-Owusu in a Citi News interview said his lawyers are advising him on his next move.

“I’ve left it with my lawyer to take up the action that will follow. And so in the course of the week, you will know the action that I will take,” he said.

‘You’re not higher than me’ – Suspended Wa Poly Rector slams NAPO

He has also blamed the Education Minister for his predicament, saying he was not giving a fair hearing before the Minister approved his suspension.

Addressing the media in Wa last Tuesday, Prof. Marfo-Owusu accused the Minister of being inconsiderate in the current impasse between him and staff of the polytechnic.

He explained that when his woes began, the Minister of Education summoned him, but he could not go because he was unwell and pleaded that the meeting be rescheduled.

“I’m not happy with the Minister of Education’s conduct… When he said that he will take his decision anyway, I look at it like he is being bossy over me. There is no need to be bossy we are all professionals. He should have looked at it like the few minutes he could have given me to be able to appear the following week, would have yielded better results. You don’t take a decision when you haven’t heard from the other side; it is wrong because even in court they need to listen to the other version.”

“But you taking a decision tells me that because you in such a position, you think you can do whatever you want. In any case, if he likes to be bossy because he is a minister, and then he will look down on anybody who works under him it won’t augur well for the nation.”

-Citifmonline

Tags: