Professor Mawutor Avoke
Professor Mawutor Avoke, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has once again challenged the decision by the University Council which saw him and five other staff sacked from the institution.
He said the reason for which they were asked to go home is “baseless.”
Injustice
Prof. Avoke at a news conference in Accra on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, said “the injustice in dismissing staff who have served the University over the past several years, on trumped up charges, evidenced in the so-called Fact Finding Report is probably the greatest injustice in the history of Higher Education anywhere in the world.”
The dismissal of Prof. Avoke and recently three other lecturers of the same university caused a stand-off between the students and the Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Professor Anthony Afful-Broni.
The stand-off which escalated into violent protests, saw students smashing windows, glass doors of buildings, burning tyres and clashing with the police.
In the ensuing melee, the Regional Security Council announced the closure of the Winneba and Ajumako campuses of UEW on March 14, 2019.
The University was reopened on April 8, 2019 after the three lecturers were reinstated.
Professor Avoke said he had served as the Vice Chancellor of the University from 2015 until March 2017 when the MP for Efutu, Alexander Afenyo Markin, petitioned the Minister for Education on the allegation that the Council that appointed him and other officers, including the then Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Afful-Broni, into office was defunct and thus illegal and also that certain contracts in the university had been awarded within the process.
He said he and those mentioned in the allegation responded, stating empatically with proof that the Governing Council could not be deemed to be defunct as the President at the time had caused a letter to be issued giving a fresh mandate to all such Councils and Boards whose term of office came to an end by virtue of subsection 1 of Section 14 of the Presidential Transition Act (Act 845) to continue to operate and perform the functions.
“We again denied that the Governing Council as at November, 2016 was defunct, because it’s term of office had expired, since that Council was a new one sworn into office on 26th June, 2016 for another two-year mandate. We also denied the allegation that certain contracts had been awarded without due processes and thus breaching the Procurement Act,” he said.
Prof. Avoke mentioned that EOCO’s investigations on the allegation made have been proven to be untrue.
“The University of Education Winneba is a paragon to Ghana, and we must guide it conscientiously and protect it from all malicious and political maneuvering from individuals,” he said.
He said the affected staff should be allowed to resume work in all fairness.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri