The Academic staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) chapter has disagreed with the governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva on the purported autonomy granted to the university by the state government.

Making the position of ASUU known in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, its chairman, Dr. Beke Sese faulted the position of the governor on the issue, saying, the position was wrong and not a true reflection of the principle of university autonomy.

Governor Timipre Sylva was recently quoted as saying that the Niger Delta University had been granted autonomy, and as such, the state government was only saddled with the responsibility of paying the salaries of workers of the university, while other responsibilities of the university would be borne by the institution.

Reacting to the governor’s position, Sese said it was contrary to the true principle of autonomy granted to any university, and said, “when we say autonomy, we are referring to the university being given a free hand to run its administrative affairs such as appointments of Vice Chancellor, Deans and Heads of Departments among others”.

The ASUU chairman also believes that granting autonomy to any university presupposes that appointments into the university are done without undue interference from the government, stressing such freedom and independence granted to the university should not be confused with the funding of the university which he said was the sole responsibility of the government that established it.

To this end, Sese posited that any attempt by the Bayelsa state Government to misconstrue principle of university autonomy would spell doom to the state-owned university which he said had been lagging behind in the provision of basic infrastructure.

While appealing to the governor to reconsider his position on the issue, the university teacher said ASUU was always prepared to partner with the government on the development of the university, and decried the lack of basic infrastructure.

Commenting on the eleven month salary arrears owed workers of the university by the state government, Sese expressed disappointment that the government was yet to fulfill the promise it made to commence payment by May.

He said ASUU and the other unions in the university had accepted the government’s offer of spreading the payment of the arrears for 12 months for the sake of the students of the institution and the workers’ penchant for industrial peace and harmony in the university pointing out that ASUU had no option than to remain patient since the Accountant-General of the state had promised that the university workers would be paid two installments of the arrears at the end of July.

Donatus Ebi