The leadership of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), located in Ekpoma, Edo State, has demanded that those in charge of unauthorized satellite campuses operating under the university’s name be apprehended and prosecuted.
In response to a recent report attributed to the National Universities Commission (NUC), the university released a statement on Saturday expressing concern over the alleged existence of unofficial satellite campuses operating under its name.
Mike Aladenika, the organization’s Head of Corporate Communications and Protocol, counseled the NUC to take all necessary steps to apprehend and bring charges against anyone discovered to be responsible for the unlawful operation.
Aladenika applauded the reported NUC decision to “investigate the proprietors and recover illegal fees and charges on subscribers”.
The statement added that the institution neither ran any satellite campus nor did it give anyone the permission to do so on its behalf, either directly or indirectly.
“The Senate has not approved any satellite campus anywhere; it has not approved that any certificate be awarded in the name of the university to anyone emerging as “products” from such illegal campuses either.
“We have continued to emphasise this. We are glad that by reportedly using the tag “illegal” for such satellite campuses, the NUC is on the same page with us.
“Surely, anything the university has not approved is illegal, null and void,” the statement said.
The spokesperson asserted that the Ambrose Alli University was a frontline state university in Nigeria that had earned the respect of all stakeholders in the last 40 years.
“It is a respected institution; it is more than forty years old, and has produced world class alumni; its current student population stands at more than 36,000.
“For an institution that towers so high to be “milling certificates” through illegal satellite campuses must be a strange phenomenon.
“We cannot, therefore, wait to see the outcome of the reported NUC “further investigations” on these reported “illegal satellite campuses”.
Aladenika expressed happiness that the regulatory authority had taken a hard stance against establishments that were producing phony diplomas and that AAU was exempt from the list of “58 illegal degree-awarding universities in Nigeria.”
He believes that the university will only rise higher given its recent successes in innovation and research.
Assuring parents, students, alumni, and other stakeholders that the current administration, led by Prof. Asomwan Adagbonyin, is more committed than ever to elevating the institution to new heights Aladenika said.
(NAN)
