CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES UNDER THE GUISE OF RECONCILIATION AT UEW

The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has subtly slammed into a haven of corruption, impunity, and ineptitude since the return of Prof. Mawuto Avoke, Dr. Theophilus Senyo Ackorlie, and co., with the tacit backing of the autocratic Council Chairman, Nana Ofori Ansah I. The reign of the Vice-Chancellor and Finance Director, respectively, has seen many financial and administrative infractions occur with impunity under the guise of reconciliation. Many within the university embraced the idea of reconciling UEW without the slightest idea that it would be used as a facade to perpetuate evil, criminality, and vindictiveness.

Most employees have been victims of persecution carried out by the Avoke Management since February 6, 2022. The appointments of some employees have either been terminated, some have their names removed from the payroll, or their requests for post-retirement contracts have been denied. The Head of University Legal Service, for instance, has had his name deleted from the payroll since May,  2022. He is in court challenging the legality of the action. The simple reason for such inhumane treatment is that he isn’t in the good books of Avoke and Ackorlie, who verbally instructed the head of the payroll to delete his name four months into their return. The appointment of a new transport officer, who had gone through proper procedure, was terminated without explanation, having already resigned from his previous employment to pick up the appointment. Almost all Deans, Directors, HoDs, and Coordinators had their appointments truncated midway through the academic year under these self-proclaimed apostles of reconciliation. These are only a few examples of the ordeals endured by some employees.

This vindictive Avoke-Ackorlie administration sees nothing wrong with appointing Dr. Mrs. Edinam Avoke, Prof. Avoke’s wife, as Dean of Student Affairs; a senior lecturer ahead of several distinguished professors without portfolios at UEW as Acting Principal of the College of Distance and e-Learning (CODEL), attending Appointments and Promotions Board meetings meant for persons of professorial ranks, in clear violation of the 2020 Statutes. Now, at UEW, Junior Officers hold positions instead of Senior Officers, a situation they decried while on the other end of the conundrum. These appointments or denials are so patent that a court of competent jurisdiction will summarily overturn them should somebody take them up with the courts. By the way, are you aware that Prof. Avoke has given his daughter a part-time appointment, lecturer level, at the University Clinic? Family and friends’ appointments are commonplace at UEW under this administration!

Every time Management wants to move a staff member up the rank, it has been customary to post an internal job advertisement inviting qualified and interested employees to apply. In contrast, the Appointments and Promotions Board under the patronage of Prof. Avoke, Whilhamina Tete Mensah, and Theophilus Senyo Ackorlie secretly chose and invited their friends and cronies to be promoted to Junior Assistant Registrars, Audit, and Finance positions under the guise of the ongoing confirmations on Wednesday, February 8, 2023. This was a clear violation of the established procedure. Ackorlie has subsequently hurriedly and singlehandedly drafted and published an advertisement on the university website in an apparent effort to appoint Charles Bedzra, Albert Osei Mensah, Mery Dzimey, and Ing. Daniel Tetteh to Deputy Finance Officers, Procurement Officer, and Deputy Director, respectively, through a sham of a process to cover their backs if they are asked to leave. This will not see the light of day. They are, by their own acts of omission or commission, inciting the wrath of the staff, who will very soon rise should those interviews be conducted as planned.

Suddenly, UEW’s financial position has taken a downturn, and statutory deductions and claims have been in arrears for several months. Staff who retired last year had to wait for five months before receiving their entitlements. Medical claims for staff, especially retirees, have been in arrears for six to eight months. Why? Where have the funds gone? We have been privy to recent fund transfers. How much did the reinstated staff pay themselves? And what was the breakdown of those payments? Can anyone pay themselves allowances for not holding positions? For how many years did Prof. Avoke, for instance, receive salaries as VC? Was he appointed for seven years as VC? These questions beg for answers to the UEW puzzle! The Acting Principal, CoDeL actively denied allegations that some top officials shared 7.6 million cedis at a recent workshop for coordinators. Oooh, is it true that the said amount was withdrawn in cash and shared contrary to financial policies at the university?

Now, UEW has come to a standstill, virtually nothing is going on. You can see from this year’s admissions that UEW is on its knees. Level 400 Students who should have graduated last year are still awaiting their fate. Distance students cannot access their results for two semesters, and we say everything is fine. These challenges have arisen because we have put four squares in round holes.

And on that important matter of appointing a new VC, nobody should dare make any attempt to change the will of the people by scheming through the shameful, greedy, and corrupt Council Chairman, Nana Ofori Ansah  I. The attempt to create the impression that there’s a certain non-existing injunction at the Winneba High Court on the appointment of a new VC is well known. A simple search on the non-existent case at the High Court, Winneba, will prove this. This disgraceful Council Chairman, for a year or so, has hijacked the university’s official vehicle, maintained and fuelled by the university for his personal use. This very practice has never been known to the university. The “I scratch your back, you scratch my back,” game is now at play in UEW.  We are aware of the manoeuvring ongoing on who becomes the next Vice-Chancellor.

We are by this medium, calling on the Special Prosecutor,  Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Ministry of Education, and Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to investigate illegalities ongoing at UEW.

CONCERNED STAFF, UEW

Source: capitalnewsonline.com