From: Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Authorities of the Delta State University, Abraka,may have shunned an invitation by the state House of Assembly Standing Committee on Public Petition following an earlier invitation sent to the institution to appear before it.
The committee had invited the university’s management following petitions alleging that the institution withheld a degree result of a graduated student, as well as unjustifiable expulsion of two female students.
Member representing Ethiope East Constituency, Mr. Evance Ivwurie, had presented the two separate petitions from his constituents on the floor of the House leading to the Speaker, Mr. Monday Igbuya directing the committee to investigate the matter.
At its meeting, on Tuesday, at the Assembly Complex, along Okpanam Road, Asaba, the petitioners were present but neither the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Victor Peretomode, nor his representatives were on hand for the defense, a situation that led to the fixing of a new date for the meeting.
Ivwurie who had assured that the House will look into the two petitions in line with relevant laws, expressed concern that the university did not follow due process before taking sensitive decisions that bothered on the students.
The lawmaker said: “it was more worrisome that the university Vice Chancellor did not appear before the Public Petitions Committee of the House or send a representative despite invitation by the committee to enable the school state their own side of the story.”
One of the petitioner Mr. Solomon Ejiro Tedjere who said the university victimised him and unjustly withheld his Bachelor degree result five years after graduation based on an alleged publication inciting students without a name or signature.
The petitioner said he successfully completed his studies in the Department of Vocational Education Agricultural Science Unit in 2012 but at the point of collecting his statement of result he was informed that he had been expelled since 2011 from the University on an alleged account of the anonymous publication.