By Our Correspondent
The Ebonyi State Government has waded into the security challenges that have been reported in the State University. The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof Amari Omaka, SAN, Tuesday visited the permanent site of the institution to obtain first hand information on the situation.
Addressing a cross section of the University community, Prof Omaka appreciated the workers for the calmness among them and promised to report back to the Governor on the challenges facing the University.
“I came here to see things for myself. After this visit, I will brief His Excellency, Rt Hon Francis Nwifuru, our ever listening Governor and I can assure you that he will surely listen to the yearnings of his people.
” I have been informed that the University has engaged private a security outfit as decided by the Govering Council and had them posted to other campuses to continue their work, therefore, I urge everyone to be law abiding and give full support to the Management.
“I want to assure you that no member of the University staff will be dismissed as a result of the exercise, rather, good behavior will be rewarded”.
Prof Omaka applauded Governor Nwifuru for his commitment to prompt payment of salaries and also for the ongoing payment of arrears of pensions of civil servants from 1996 to 2022.
“Our Governor loves civil servants, and this he has shown by the current recruitment exercise and increment of salaries of civil servants in Ebonyi State, and by payment of all arrears of salary owed EBSU workers, and retirement benefits of all retired civil servants in the State”.
Welcoming the Commissioner to the campus, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Chigozie Ogbu assured him that the University environment is safe and peaceful. He unequivocally stated that everything is in order, saying there is no protest at all at the University campus.
Ogbu informed the Commissioner that in line with a decision of EBSU Governing Council over growing insecurity in all the campuses of the university, a private security outfit had been engaged in the main campus while the regular university security personnel were posted to CAS, PRESCO and Ishieke campuses.
” The campuses have of late been facing a lot of criminal activities which overwhelmed the security personnel in the University and as such the Governing Council led by Very Rev Fr Dr Abraham Nwali resolved to stem the tide by engaging a private security outfit in line with best practices in many universities across the country and as done in many organizations, with a view to holding them responsible in event of future security breaches.
“The Council took this decision to engage a more fortified private security outfit to beef up security in the campus.
Commenting on redeployment of workers in the University, the Vice Chancellor said “no staff was dehumanized but are quietly receiving their letters to proceed to the campuses where they were posted”.
Speaking in his office amid a legion of the reposted security personnel, the Chief Security Officer (CSO), Nwafor Felix, on behalf of the all of them, thanked the Commissioner for the visit and informed him that the Security Department is experiencing dearth of gadgets and sundry security tools which would have made the job easier.
“Despite this challenge, the Department is on top of the situation. But most times when criminals are arrested and handed over to police, the police will compromise and release them.
He however assured the Commissioner that they was no cause for alarm.
