NEWS: "UNICROSS ALUMNI BELONGS TO NO ONE, AM READY TO MEDIATE, WITHDRAW FROM COURT AND LET'S GO FOR ELECTIONS" - VC

"UNICROSS ALUMNI BELONGS TO NO ONE, AM READY TO MEDIATE, WITHDRAW FROM COURT AND LET'S GO FOR ELECTIONS" - VC

Earlier in the week, a follow up meeting between the seven(7) Chapters leadership of CRUTECH Alumni Association and the newly appointed 5th substantive Vice Chancellor of CRUTECH, Prof. Augustine Angba held behind closed door.

A team of Chapters leadership led by it's Chairman of Chairmen, Ukupa Francis Ukupa (Rivers State) in company of Paul Agwu (Edo), Ben Ndifreke (Akwa-ibom), Odaji John (Abuja) met with the Vice Chancellor to once again congratulate him on his deserved appointment, the assent to Bill by the Governor that birth UNICROSS and to also  dialoque on possible ways to navigate the association out of her current national leaderless state to a vibrant one.

The team presented the history of the crisis and the consequential failure by immediate past leadership to dialoque which eventually led us here. This was an interesting and an eye opening discussion that afforded parties opportunity to hear officially from other sources away from the one already used to.

They Chairmen reminded the Vice Chancellor that by his substantive appointment, he had become a respectable stakeholder in the association, hence the need to play the very vital role of a mediator.

Odaji Idiku stressed the fact that the issues were not personal against anyone or group but a deliberate and intentional efforts by lovers of the association to correct the ills that had bedeviled it for such a long time.

The Chairmen made it understandably clear that the matter centered on the fact that Eyam led Executive's tenure lapsed since December 2017, yet they stayed on till 2019. His refusal to give account of stewardship for the period and failure to constitute an electoral committee as prescribed by the 2016 Crutech alumni Constitution were the Crux of the crisis which eventually led us and some stakeholders to seek the Court's interpretation on the matter. 

Responding, the vice Chancellor thanked the team for coming and for the support and solidarity accorded him so far. Acknowledging the depths of the crisis and the steps he had taken to intervene all along, he appealed for calm and expressed his willingness to mediate and resolve the impasse.

“ Since I came onbaord I have been inundated with series of the happenings around the union. The association does not belong to any single person nor a group but to all of you". 

“ Sincerely speaking, the crisis have done some damage to your relationships, the association and the school too. Therefore, I give you my word today, go talk to others and withdraw from the court so we can sit down together in my office and draw up a timetable for your Elections within 2/3 weeks"  the VC said.

He concluded by admitting that this was his first elaborate discussion about this issue with any person or group, given the time spent on it on this day.

A response is been awaited within the month even as the Chairmen assured him that solution is near and in further consultation with all chapters and strategic stakeholders, the case will be withdrawn soon.