Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni Must Be Forced To Resign
Whoever has seen the symptoms of anaemia wouldnt find it extremely precarious to conclude that, the current UEW governing council headed by Prof.Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah is suffering from dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness, or malaise so to speak.
Over the weekened, UEW has been in the news for the bad reason and this has forced the institution to shut down. The decision to close the university became very paramount at the time tensions were high on campus.
Students boycotted lectures and decided to hit the streets to register their high level of revulsion and resentment following the governing council's decision to dismiss some senior lecturers.The dismissal of these lecturers erupted serious volcanic fury on UEW campus where students we are told defied all odds to vehemently oppose what according to them had no legal basis.
These students took to the street to demonstrate on a simple condition that, until their lecturers are reinstated, they arent going to back-down their demands. They were ignored on monday and the subsequent days. The demonstration continued from monday through to thursday.
It took the untimely intervention of the member of parliament for Effutu and Kennedy Agyapong to restore calm which brought some normalcy on the campuses of UEW. They managed to calm tempers down and promised the agitating students of forwarding their legitimate demands to the minister of Education for possible considerations.
Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh and others subsequently met the governing council chair to consider the plea from students as a means of finding an amicable solution to the matter. It was then agreed that, in order to prevent further agitations here and there, those dismissed lecturers should be reinstated for utmost peace to prevail. The decision reached by the governing council chair and other stakeholders was subsequently communicated to students in line with peace building process.
Students who were fuming furiously waiting for their demands to be considered upon being assured that, their lecturers were going to be reinstated went to sleep hoping that, when the governing council officially sits to address the media on the recent impasse in UEW, the decision to bring back their dismissed lecturers was actually going to be part of the UEW governing council press release but, it appears they have been stabbed in the back.
The UEW governing council in their jaundiced and porous press release senselessly justified why these lecturers were dismissed. The release sought to itemise the offences each of these lecturers committed and argued why they were subjected to disciplinary procedures within the ambit and purview of the statutes of UEW. Let me do my readers some good by reproducing same for a better understanding.
One of the dismissed lecturers by name Dr Frimpong Duku was hauled before a disciplinary board on the basis that, he out of courage deposed an affidavit for and on Behalf of some dismissed officers of UEW in the high court inducing a such[ Volunti non fit injuria,ie voluntary assumption of risk]. He was also charged for going to court at the expense of lectures. He was held in breach of statute 36 schedule G2b and D which later formed the basis upon which he was dismissed. Lets move to statute 36 which specifically list conducts that merit disciplinary actions and the below are classical examples.
According to the UEW Statutes 36, Schedule G: The following shall be referred to as the Disciplinary Rules and, except as otherwise provided, shall apply to all staff of the University.(i)Any act done without reasonable excuse by a person to whom these rules apply which amounts to a failure to perform in a proper manner any duty imposed on him as such, or which contravenes any regulations, instructions or directives relating to employees of the University or which is otherwise prejudicial to the efficient functioning of the University or tends to bring the University into disrepute shall constitute a misconduct. (ii) It is misconduct for an employee of the University to:( a.) absent himself from duty without leave or reasonable excuse (b) be insubordinate c. use, without the consent of the appropriate authority, any property or facility of the University for purposes not connected with the work of the University and/or not within his scope of responsibilities (d) engage in any activity which is likely to bring the University into disrepute (e) engage in any gainful employment outside the University without the consent of the Vice-Chancellor.
The above can trigger a disciplinary action against a senior member of the university as rightly underpinned in the above statute which has already been reproduced above. It is shocking that, the UEW governing council failed to link Dr Frimpong Duku's alleged charges to any of the above-mentioned conducts that has the propensity to trigger any disciplinary action within the provisions of UEW statute as quoted above.
Clearly no provision in the Statute supports the termination of Dr Frimpong Duku's appointment. The question is, why wont students protest against this obnoxious illegality? Prof.Anthony Afful Broni who failed to check the correct spellings of his name before appending his signature on dismissal letters for senior members is behind this capricious and vindictive decisions which has set the university ablaze for want of a better expression.
Again let me move to the dismissal of Prof.Ephraim Avea Nsoh who was the Ajumako college principal. The governing council pressed three charges against him. He was alleged to have (I) organised a talk/semina on campus on a matter that was before the high court (II) Had on several occassion shown that,he had no respect for authority (III) Habitually absented himself from duty without any reasonable excuse.
The UEW governing council lack of common sense failed to even attach the official report and its recommendations of the disciplinary board to their release to give a clear picture of what they communicated to the public. In their failed attempt to throw dust into our eyes,they failed to mention the very case which was pending the high court and the transcription of what Prof.Avea Nsoh's openly said as a comment on the pending matter which triggered the disciplinary actions against his person.
Who informed the governing council that, when a matter is before a court, no one can comment on the matter. Infact the only limitation to comments on any matter before a court is one that(a) seeks to prejudice the outcome of the case(b) any comment that seeks to undermine or lower the authority of the court(c) any comment that seeks to ridicle the court.
Apart from the above,any body is protected under article 21(1) (a)(b) to freely express his view on any matter (s)he considers reasonable and appropriate. Assuming without admitting that,Prof.Avea Nsoh's alleged conduct was contemptuous, which aspect of the statute provides punitive measures for which he was hauled before a board to look into the said matter?
Again which aspect of Prof.Avea Nsoh's conduct by form constituted his charge under (II) for which same should be couched as"no respect for authority? The governing council thought that, this feeble press release was going to settle the issues once and for all not knowing it was going to expose their weakness before the public.
Be that as it may and considering the fact that, he absented himself from duty without any reasonable excuse. What exactly is the duty he is alleged to have absented himself from? who determines what is reasonable and what is not? The "sick" UEW governing council has a Professor as a chairman yet basic common sense cannot be found in any of their stance concerning the subject matter under discourse.
Also in their press release, they accused Dr.Emmanuel Sarpong of walking out of council chairman during a council meeting when it is clear that,he recused himself as an Alumni representative on a council meeting for reasons. He wasnt in the meeting in his official capacity as a lecturer but an Alumni rep. In this case why should his" lecturership" suffer assuming without admitting that,what he is on record to have done is wrong?
UEW is not the bona fide of vindictive and criminally minded Prof.Anthony Afful Broni. When you embark on vidictiveness,common sens shall surely expose you to the world. Such a disgraceful posture shouldnt have come from a catholic priest.
#Prof.Anthony Afful Broni must be forced to resign#
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