By Isaac Arkoh
Cape Coast, April 18, GNA – Some internal members of the Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU) Governing Council have described recent orchestrations by some supposed Concerned Alumni of the University seeking the removal of Reverend Prof. Harold Amonoo-Kuofi, as Chairman of the Council as baseless and without recourse to law.
According to them, on Wednesday, April 12, some made-up Alumni of the institution held a press conference demanding the removal of the Chairman of the Council.
They cited about 15 leadership mishaps including legal breaches, administrative inertia and infrastructure challenges among others.
Rebating such claims at a press conference on Monday, Mr. Uriah Stonewell Tetteh and Mr. Frederick Appiah, the spokespersons for the internal members of the Council, said the allegations was originated by some staff of the university and were tantamount to bringing the name of the institution into disrepute.
“The press conference by the concerned Alumni appeared to have been born out of frustration of some disgruntled staff of CCTU who do not want to respect the dictates of the Technical University Act 922, (2016) as amended, just because they failed to get the Council Chairman out of office even before the reconstitution of the Governing Council.
“The group has defied all legitimate structures and resorted to the use of friends, past students, subordinates to malign and vilify the integrity and reputation of the members of the Council,” the Internal Members of the Council said.
Mr. Tetteh also said the allegation that the Council Chairman had unilaterally kicked against decisions to speed up the development and progress of the university was an unfounded and palpable falsehood as per the Section Five of the Technical University Act, 922(2016).
He said the allegations of the stoppage of strategic projects (Hostel Complex) on campus by the Chairman of the Council was false.
“No Council will halt a project being executed having followed the due processes.
“Per the Amendment Act of the Technical University (2018), Act 974, section eight, section 31 of Act 922 amended “a Technical University shall not acquire or hold moveable and immovable property, sell, lease, mortgage or otherwise alienate or dispose of that property without the approval of the Minister for Education given in consultation with the National Council for Tertiary Education (now Ghana Tertiary Education Commission),” Mr. Tetteh said.
Furthermore, he said the alleged stoppage of a market project funded by the Coastal Development Authority (CODA) was also false because the University’s Council did not know about the acquisition of that piece of land and the erection of the market.
He said the Vice-Chancellor and his management team arranged with the developers to build the market on a private site instead of the University’s land and approval for the acquisition of the piece of land for such development was not sought from the Governing Council by Management before erecting the market structure.
Mr Tetteh said the University Council, was informed of the need to pay an amount of GH74, 250.00 for 0.27 acre, less than a plot of land, something he said the Council considered too exorbitant considering the critical financial situation of the University.
He said the decision of the Vice-Chancellor and his Management team to start the project without the approval of council was irregular and unacceptable.
On the alleged stalling of the construction of a shopping mall and a fuel station, he said the project was related to the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between the Management of the University and Oguaa Akoto Enterprise Limited to construct the projects on the University’s land.
He said it was however surprising to note that the Vice-Chancellor and his management team released the University’s land to the private developer to start the project without recourse to the University Council.
According to him apart from breaching the process of acquiring property as enshrined in section eight of Technical Universities (Amendment), Act 2018, Act 974, section 31, the project included a disco pub, casino and other units which will not inure to the benefit of the university and promote academic work.
Mr Tetteh said that project would rather influence students to resort to various social vices, adding that, the irregularities in the service agreement were captured in the 2021 Annual Audit Report which was circulated by the Auditor General and the Minister of Education.
He said the Auditor General recommended that Management should seek retrospective approval from the Minister for Finance, and Parliament for the PPP Agreement accordingly.
Mr Tetteh said the management of the University was also directed to seek the University Council’s approval retrospectively to legitimize the MOU, failure of which the project should be halted.
He said it therefore came as a surprise that the Council Chairman was being attacked for insisting on the right things to be done, the Members said.
Going forward, the Internal Members of the Council urged all staff and stakeholders to follow laid-down structures and desist from engaging in activities and utterances that dent the reputation of the institution.
“It is our view that members of staff would do well to use laid-down channels to get their grievances resolved,” the Internal Members of the Council advised.
“For stakeholders like alumni, I will suggest that they should liaise with their National Alumni Association to make their concerns known to Council for consideration,” the Internal Members of the Council said.
GNA