By Erasmus Ikhide
Ordinarily, responding to a virtually collapsed, corruption plagued and crisis ridden institution like the Ambrose Alli University and a peripheral little educated hermit of a journalist (sacked AIT Correspondent) like Mike Aladenika was a needless distraction but for his bad vices; banal remarks, and his refusal to addressing the issues arising from the jobs he was illegally rewarded to do, and the subversion of AAU rules of engagement that was strictly and criminally aborted.
It is interesting to note that Mike Aladenika’s tenure as Edo NUJ Chairman was lack lustre and characterized by divisiveness and ruthless unprofessional antics, hence he could not secure a second term in office, hence he was fond of pushing fake news against former Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s administration. He was defeated by Mr Friday Obanor, the Observer Newspapers Government House Correspondent. His woeful failure as Edo State chapter of NUJ chairman necessited his defeat in office. Chief Gabriel Osawaro Igbinedion had to relieved him of his appointment as one of the lowest correspondents of ITV, owing to his dereliction of duty.
The reading public would have been interested in knowing about Mike Aladenika’s qualifications that earned him the position of Deputy Registrar’s appointment of level 13 officer and the AAU standard procedure for employing a lowly rated jobless journalist who has been scavenging for crumbs from me over the last ten years! Ordinary, such career posts ought to have been advertised, but interestingly the process was shrouded in secrecy!
For the records, I got to know about Aladenika’s appointment through a watery press statement he issued on himself and mailed to Trojan News Media for publication which was obliged. Trojan News Media has since received series of half-truths about the gloomy fate of the institution and many poorly crafted press statements that broadcast outright falsehoods from an inebriated and defoliated scoundrel of his humanity.
I remembered telling the pauperized marginal journalist – in our reconning with broadcasters with few lines journalism – that ‘AAU is a crime scene, just do your best and move on’ when he sought after Trojan News Media for cooperation. As a friend, I was somewhat happy for him, because he was a shadow of his former self the last time we met at a Labour Party event, off Airport road in Benin, with his objectionable and discreditable appearance. I had compassion on him and asked my aide to hand over three hundred and fifty thousand Naira (N350K) to him. The other journalists who were with me at the event can bear witness to what transpired.
Aladenika’s response to Trojan News Media on his illegal employment, was counterproductive for him by abandoning the issues of corruption in the University raised by the newspaper. Instead, he dwelt extensively on Erasmus Ikhide’s relationship with Mr Adams Oshiomhole, Rauf Aregbesola, Governor Godwin Obaseki and Crusoe Osagie’s mortal fear about me.
Also, Aladenika wrote blandly about the Acting Vice Chancellor (AVC) of Ambrose Alli University, Prof Sunnie Adagbonyin, who is arguably presiding over one of the most corrupt institutions in the world; suggesting that I was asking for a favour from the AVC which never came as the reasons for exposing the rots in the institution.
Early last week, Prof Sunnie Adagbonyin made a vain allusion to the effects that ‘AAU is a victim of media attack’, without mentioning his albatross that Trojan News Media has become for corrupt felons in the University and in the global community.
Aladenika’s illegal employment was to festoon the luckless institution that has witnessed outright lawlessness; total brigandage, callous aberration, criminal destruction of students destinies, brazen collapse and stagnation of academic progress, unremitting ruination of the premier institution, inhuman asphyxiation and pillaging of individuals’ careers of the staff of the University and unbridled callousness and impudent twitches of the instituction’s management, and the impunity parading itself as an altruistic administration in AAU.
The institution management’s Achilles heel and that of his minders is that Trojan News Media is in possession of pictures and videos of criminally acquired properties in Ugbor and Government Reversed Areas belonging to (SIT) members of staffs of AAU and the instituction’s management of the University.
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Here is the Trojan News Media report Aladenika unprofessionally refused to respond to:
Corrupt Ambrose Alli Varsity’s Management, AVC Give Selves Pass Marks
THE management of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State have further deceived themselves at a press conference held at the premises of the State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) yesterday, in Benin City.
Shying away from addressing the burning and substantive issues of brazen fraud; transcript racketeering, tuition fees hike, disbandment of Students Union Government and sundry issues plaguing the institution, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Sunnie Adagbonyin gloated over the mockery of a university institution in twenty first century.
“For long, purveyors of falsehood, merchants of propaganda, dwellers in the mansions of blackmail and revellers in the habit of reputation damage and de-marketing have used Ambrose Alli University and its Management as cannon fodder for pleasure and political profit. Perhaps no other University than AAU, a University that has produced great men and women, has suffered such bad press and been so pummelled”, the Acting Vice Chancellor intoned.
A university Don has knocked the Acting Vice Chancellor for speaking tongue in cheek over the glooming fate of the premier state institution in the last seven years, under Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.
“By claiming that AAU is a victim of media attack, the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Sunnie Adagboyin thinks he can deceive the public with “smooth” language to divert attention from the festering ills, maladministration, illegality, corruption, impunity, repression, victimization, administrative and academic aberrations being perpetuated in the University by the SIT and his University led-Management.
“The problems are harmful and antithetical to the the wellbeing of staff and students as well as the development of the University. The media is not expected to shy away from making report out of these problems bedevilling the state-owned University. The Acting Vice Chancellor is economical with the truth.
“We challenge the Acting Vice Chancellor to speak to the substance of the problems that have been the concern of media attention, such as the alleged certificate and transcript racketeering for which one of his aides was relieved of his appointment in the University while his wife, Mrs. Itohan Obaseki Adagboyin who is also a staff of the University, was queried and awaiting trial.
“Why has the alleged promotion fraud of the Provost of the University College of Medicine swept under the carpet having been queried and suspended and recall for due process to be followed?
“There are series of alleged academic infractions against some staff who are today the agents of Special Intervention Team (SIT) and University Management. They include Dr. Nwoke of Physiology Dept, Dr. Nosa of Accounting, and Dr. Ogbomie of Business Administration etc, etc, etc”, the Professor said.
Last month, Trojan News Media reported how the institution’s management defrauded 28 (twenty eight) overall best students who were allotted N30,000 (Thirty Thousand Naira) each, arising from AAU 40 years anniversary celebration.
After the exposing the inherent fraud in the University as have been done repeatedly by Trojan News Media, the Vice Chancellor hurriedly set up a Committee after our story, followed by the invitation of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Related Commission (ICPC) to major stakeholders who shortchanged the overall best students of the University.
In a letter signed and dated August 18th, 2023, on behalf of the Acting Vice Chancellor by the Acting Registrar, Ambrose E. Odiase reads in parts: “The Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor A.S. Adagbonyin has approved the constitution of a Committee to Investigate Allegations of Financial Impropriety on Prize/Award to Best Performing Students (Make/Female) in the Faculties During the AAU @40 Celebration, with membership as follows:
Prof. H.O.T. Iyawe, Acting Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences (Chairman), Prof (Mrs.) B.O. Anyanwu, Ag, Head, Dept. of English (Secretary), Dr. (Mrs.) R.I. Osarenren-Osaghae, Ag, Head, Dept. of Edu Fund & Magt. Dr. E.O Nwoke, Dept. of Physiology and Mrs. Esekhaigbe, Faculty Officer (Social Sciences).
Sources in AAU told Trojan News Media Correspondent that the Committee with a mandate to turn in the report of its investigation findings in three weeks has been under intense pressure by the same AAU management to exonerate those involved in the alleged fraudulent act.
“Nothing good can come out of the current administration of Ambrose Alli University as long as Governor Godwin Obaseki’s brother in-law, Prof Sunnie Adagbonyin and his enabler, Austin Osakue have the mandates to ruin the University before the expiration of the Governor’s tenure as Visitor to the University next year.
“Part of their oppressive mandate is the dissolution of Students Union AAU chapter on September 1, following the protest over increments of fee for the returning students.
“It’s inhuman and a crime of utmost savagery for a State Government, (SIT) and the University Management to approve 300 percent increments of school fee hike astronomically from N150,000 (One Hundred And Fifty Thousand Naira) to N80,000 (Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) per student in a semester, in a State where minimum wage is N30,000 (Thirty Thousand Naira only), where some Professors in the service of the University who have not received salaries from the University over the last two years are dying of starvation”, sources told our Correspondent in Ekpoma.
