Looming Constitutional Crisis and Chaos at UEW

Barely two (2) days to the end of the tenure of the current Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), the Governing Council appears unconcerned in the appointment of a successor.

Today’s date is 28th September, 2021, and the current VC’s tenure expires on 30th September, 2021.

A stupid lawyer is alleged to have advised that as a result of a court action challenging a Search Committee’s Report on the appointment of a successor to the current VC, the Governing Council cannot meet until the matter is determined in court. This is stupidity at its zenith!!
By implication, UEW might as well shut down until the said case is disposed off, as per the submission of this supposed lawyer. Simple!!

The Governing Council is only restricted in respect of discussing the Search Committee’s Report, and NOTHING else!!

One can clearly see the hand of a known crook out there, who is well known for constantly making empty noise in the media; and one of his latest deceptions being the fooling of some desperate ungrateful people, who are bent on taking over the headship of UEW, by whatever means and at whatever cost. That is, the ‘buga buga’ way!

In the recent past, this same known crook, advised some dismissed officers of UEW and their blind supporters to invade UEW and reinstate themselves. The desperate leader of this thoughtless bunch, later apologized publicly to the then Minister of Education, and proceeded to eat his own shit by acknowledging to have been naive!

This is exactly what awaits some staff of UEW who have recently formed an unholy alliance with this known crook, aka common criminal.

If anyone foolishly believe that they can just walk into the Vice-Chancellor’s office to assume the mantle of leadership of UEW from 1st October, 2021, is hereby put on notice that that would be unconstitutional and would be resisted at all cost. The due process, that is, Governing Council of UEW appointing the Vice-Chancellor MUST be adhered to. Anything short of this, is tantamount to subversion of the constitutional process.

Those with stomachs as big as the Atlantic Ocean, should know that UEW is poison, and any greedy attempt to ‘swallow’ it into their child frightening stomachs, would result in disastrous consequences, Insha Allah!!

How did UEW get itself into this sordid mess?
The Mamprusis have a saying that: “the elders don’t look on unconcerned while a goat dies in the process of giving birth”.

In the case of UEW however, the elders actually engineered, facilitated and blessed the current predicament of UEW, when they dispensed with the steady, efficient and effective services of a renowned Professor of Law as Chairman of the UEW Governing Council, and in his place, saddled UEW with an associate of a known crook, who from all the available evidence, is an adversary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), and who myopically believes that chairing a university council requires the same procedures and standards like ordering subjects around in a Palace. What a disaster!!

So what is the way forward to restoring Constitutional rule and adherence to the rule of law in UEW?
The solution lies squarely in the face and full view of the elders, to trigger the process of removing the disastrous Chairman and replacing him with an objective and independent member of the ‘elephant family’.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), may also step in to provide interim leadership to UEW in order to avoid the looming constitutional crisis and chaos.

By Alhassan Salifu Bawah
(son of an upright peasant farmer)