By Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN—THE Benin zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, rose from its emergency meeting and called on the five governors of the South East States to resign their positions for alleged attempt to turn the state universities in the South East into “ethnic enclaves”.

The Benin zone of ASUU which comprises the University of Benin, UNIBEN, Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, Delta State University Abraka, DELSU, Niger Delta University, NDU, Wilberforce Island and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources FUPRE, Effurun, viewed the protracted crisis plaguing the universities in the South East as a manifestation of what it described as the alleged “failure of governance and a direct admittance that the governors cannot manage the affairs of their respective states.”

In a communique signed by the zonal coordinator, Benin Zone and Chairman of ASUU, AAU,Ekpoma, Dr Sunday Ighalo, Dr Kashitu Ilavbarhe (Chairman, ASUU, UNIBEN), Dr Emma Mordi (Chairman, ASUU, DELSU), Dr Inetiminebi Ogidi, (ASSU, NDU) and Dr Akpofure Rim-Rukeh (Chairman ASUU, FUPRE), the dons regretted the botched meeting of 17 October, 2010, between the governors and ASUU leaders, which was called to find solution to the lingering crisis.

“The zone particularly took exception to the strange action of the governors for their insistence to hold the meeting only with Igbo academics and to conduct the meeting in Igbo language, which led to the collapse of the meeting called to resolve the crisis. The zone is shocked that governors of these states in this modern time could exhibit such uncivilized tendency and ignorance of the universal nature of a university,” it stated.