By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Sept. 30, GNA – Professor Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, the Vice-Chancellor of the Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU), has called for unity among staff and stakeholders to rebuild the institution after what he described as a period that had left the university “collapsed.”
Professor Alnaa said the immediate priority following the court’s decision to reinstate him and two other senior officers was to heal divisions within the university and restore the institution to its development path.
“The university has collapsed. So, we have a lot of work to do. And we just pray to God to give us the strength to go back and rebuild the institution,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the Bolgatanga High Court ruled in his favour and ordered his reinstatement, together with two other senior officers, Mr Samuel Aduko, the Director of Procurement, and Mr Tom Mboya Asigri, the Director of Works and Physical Development, following a legal challenge to decisions taken by the University Council.
Professor Alnaa said the university had previously been implementing a 10-year development plan but acknowledged that the prolonged dispute had affected the institution’s progress.
He said management would revisit the development plan, identify areas that had suffered the greatest setbacks and target them for reconstruction.
“We will go back to the development plan. We must continue with the development agenda that we have. So, we see which areas are much more affected, so that we can target those areas and rebuild them,” he said.
However, Professor Alnaa said rebuilding physical infrastructure and resuming development programmes would not be enough unless the divisions within the university were addressed.
He said his administration would, therefore, work to foster unity and create an environment where all staff could contribute to the rebuilding of the institution.
The Don said: “As a leader, your doors must be open. I have to provide the leadership. And I don’t provide leadership by closing the doors to some people. Everybody must be allowed to come in and showcase what he or she can do to build the institution.
“This is the only technical university we have here. And it was going very well. And then all of a sudden, a bomb. That just allows some few individuals to destroy us because of their selfish motives.”
Professor Alnaa expressed optimism that the institution could recover within the next one or two years if stakeholders worked together.
The dispute at Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) involving Vice-Chancellor Professor Samuel Erasmus Alnaa and the University Council developed over several months and centered on disagreements over the administration of the university, procurement processes and the way disciplinary and investigative procedures were conducted.
The matter became prominent in December 2025, when the University Council directed Professor Alnaa to proceed on his accumulated annual leave from December 19, 2025, to December 18, 2026.
The Council said the move was intended to create space for reflection, reconciliation and efforts to restore peace and confidence within the university.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) subsequently intervened and directed the Council to stay the decision, describing the one-year leave arrangement as “unprecedented and potentially problematic”.
On February 13, 2026, the University Council constituted a five-member Special Investigation Committee to investigate allegations relating to a GH¢27.97 million GETFund-financed procurement contract awarded to M-Business Services Limited in April 2024, as well as the alleged unauthorised disposal of 866 items of university furniture.
The Council later relied on the committee’s findings to terminate Professor Alnaa’s appointment with effect from June 11, 2026.
The allegations against Professor Alnaa included claims that the procurement contract had been awarded without approval from the Central Tender Review Board and that there were irregularities in the procurement process and disposal of university furniture.
The Council also alleged financial loss arising from the procurement.
The matter was referred to institutions including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Financial Intelligence Centre and the Auditor-General for further investigation.
Professor Alnaa challenged the Council’s actions at the Bolgatanga High Court, arguing, among other things, that the processes leading to his removal were unlawful.
The controversy also affected BTU’s relationship with the wider technical university system, and in June 2026, the Vice-Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana suspended BTU from their activities, citing concerns over the processes surrounding the suspension, investigation and termination of the Vice-Chancellor, as well as sanctions imposed on other senior officers.
In its ruling, the High Court found that the University Council did not form a quorum when it took the decisions that led to the removal of Professor Alnaa and the two other senior officers.
The court also found that the Special Investigative Committee was illegally constituted.
The court consequently granted an order of certiorari, quashing the Council’s decisions and paving the way for Professor Alnaa and the two other officers to return to office.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Reporter’s email: [email protected]