Recall that Governor Godwin Obaseki had, on February 18, at a town hall meeting on Edo education policy, announced the conversion of the state-owned university into three campuses.
But the forum said it had resolved at its monthly meeting in February that the institution had been grossly underfunded in recent times by the state government, the situation which the government blamed on paucity of fund.
“Bearing this in mind, how does this same government now want to embark on a multi-campus development which will mean new structures, new recruitment of personnel and a whole lot of other financially involving tasks?
“What this goes to show is simple; AAU has been deliberately starved of funds over these years by the government due to these hidden political schemes to crumble the socio-economic power of Esanland.
“As it is today, Edo South has the great University of Benin, Edo North has Edo University and Edo Central has the Ambrose Alli University.
“Can there be anything more balanced than what we currently have to warrant the balkanisation of AAU, not minding the attendant effect on resources and academics,” the forum said in the statement.
The planned balkanisation of the institution, it said, would draw more fund from the government, create more physical, financial and psychological strains on the students, among others shortcomings.
The forum, however, called on the state governor to rescind his decision on the multi-campus policy, particularly as it concerns AAU.
Rather, the forum urged the government to put in enough funds to make the AAU stand out as the best state owned university in Nigeria and a destination for learning nationally and internationally.
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