The allegation of death threat and the decision of the court and the current state of the University of Ghana

Press Conference Addressed By Mr Akyena Brantuo Benjamin (Former President Of Commonwealth Hall, University Of Ghana-Legon) At The Freedom Centre

The Press, Colleagues and Friends; good morning. Accept my gratitude for your presence here today. We on the legon campus have been very much impressed by the level of interest shown by most of you towards the plight of Ghanaian students and in particular students from the University of Ghana, Legon. We have had the rare opportunity to learn of the efforts made by some persons in authority to influence your reportage of student life and activities and we are proud to say that in most instances journalist have chosen to abide by the ethics of their profession over bread and butter.

The 3rd of May, 2007 issue of the Ghanaian Times carried a front page story with my photograph and a creaming headline “Akyena Brantuo Benjamin declared wanted by the Ghana police over allegations of death threat”. I think a year into this 'national security threatening issue', Ghana deserves to know the legal status of the case, the circumstance that begot it and the state and way forward for the University of Ghana.

On Friday, July 11, 2008, at about 11:45 am, the case of The Republic Vrs. Akyena Brantuo Benjamin ended when the presiding judge, His Lordship Mr. Justice Manu, a High Court Judge sitting as an additional Circuit Court judge discharged me from the criminal charges for want of prosecution.

For starters, this was the case, in which the Ghana Police service on the 27th April, 2007 in a show of lawlessness and in the most expressive disregard for civil liberties and lawful procedure, broke into my room in my absence and took possession of my personal computer, books and many other personal documents. This irresponsible act, ordered by the CID hierarchy and the Vice-Chancellor, as clearly illustrated by media reports, nearly led to bloody clashes between students of the University of Ghana and the police personnel detailed to commit the unlawful break-in and seizures. In fact it was the case in which a bench warrant was fraudulently obtained for my arrest even before I could be officially invited by the police. This was the case in which I was detained for 16 days at the CID headquarters and a Court attendance spanning over a year because of allegations by Prof. Nii Boi Tagoe that I have threatened to kill him and over one thousand other lecturers he works with at the University of Ghana. This did not only cause me great pain and public ridicule but consequently I lost a whole year in my academic career. I have no regrets however.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, on Friday, 11 July 2008 Akyena Brantuo Benjamin was discharged for want of prosecution. The agents of government, the Vice-Chancellor and the police for over a year have not been able to go beyoung the litany of allegations of death threat sponsored in the media against me. They are still investigating. But for mischief and undeclared motives, what will make the police effect an arrest before they commence any investigations at all?

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to condemn all forms of criminal activities including threats to the life of any person or group of persons. In the save vein, I unreservedly condemn the falsification and framing of death threats to life as an excuse and a basis to win public sympathy, settle personal scores with one's enemies and divert attention from issues of the day. Unfortunately this trend has been very consistent with public authorities particularly in our educational institutions and very much so by the Prof. Nii Boi Tagoe led administration on the University of Ghana Campus. How the police was used to almost murder the students of IPS in February 2007 when students demanded the resignation of their SRC president, Takoradi Polytechnic in June 2007 when the authorities of the school made misguided statements about the sex lives of students, and recently the closure of Casley Hayford Hall of the university of Cape Coast are shining examples of deliberate criminalisation of student actions as diversionary tactics from the issues of the day.

Similarly I want to state that the unlawful break into my room, my arrest and detention has nothing to do with averting death threats to the lives of lectures on campus but was part of a grand scheme deliberately hatched to settle personal scores and exact vengeance for perceived long standing enmity which has existed between me and the university during my tenure as president of the Commonwealth Hall JCR and importantly divert attention from the debate and protest of the -IN-OUT-OUT-OUT Residential Policy. The following provides the basis for the said dislike for me by the University authorities.

Throughout my tenure as JCR President of Commonwealth Hall, I stood against the University's corrupt and exploitative policies and much more the dictatorial and reckless manner in which Prof. Nii Boi Tagoe runs the affairs of legon like a boy's brigade. I protested the unlawful intervention of the Vice-Chancellor in the Student Representative Council executive elections in 2006 –of which you are all aware - and also campaigned against his imposition of acting SRC executives on the student body that same year.

Again 'I went to town' when the Vice-Chancellor demonstrated the peak of democratic intolerance and opposition to academic debate by removing from residence and office student leaders who did not agree with his eddy Amy style of leadership-the 2006 presidents and executives of Commonwealth Hall, Volta Hall and Akuafo Hall-are facts which will permanently hang on his neck as an albatross. He remains the only Vice-Chancellor who sanctions students before disciplinary report on allegations of breaches and offences could be ready-such intolerance. Professor Tagoe has never been able to forgive me for exposing his crony- the hall master of Commonwealth Hall - for dipping his hands into student's monies without authorization, acting to hinder the auditing of students accounts and the fraudulent abuse of office by breaching all protocol surrounding the application and disbursement of students' funds. The reckless and scandalous auditing commission set up by the Vice-Chancellor to look into the said matter is attestation of the VC's endorsement of corruption as the report remains a great cover up. I will challenge it in due time.

Free speech and right to ones opinions on matters of university policy are great luxuries that the Tagoe led administration hardly tolerates. My removal from residence and the threat to confiscate my certificates after school and the confiscation of the certificates of Enesto Yeboah, Anuga Fortunate, Osei Dickson, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, etc for their strong opinions on good and quality education and policies clearly demonstrate this point.

The introduction of IN-OUT-OUT-OUT Residential policy by the Tagoe led administration as the panacea to the challenges posed by inadequate accommodation was one which surprised all progressive thinkers because of the short sightedness of the proposal and the exposure of administrative incompetence in dealing with the challenges inadequate accommodation and other related issues pose to education.

The level of public support and the massive crowd that demonstrated against the policy amidst police brutalities clearly indicates what should be expected in the coming days. Though the thousands of students who marched to the Vice-Chancellors office and the castle cross road shook the foundations of the country enough, it was the threat to boycott the semester's exams that got the University to wake up to the occasion.

However, the massive public outcry against and rejection of the IN-OUT-OUT-OUT Residential policy waned and focus on the debate for appropriate accommodation got shifted when Prof Tagoe told the press that he and his lecturers have been threatened with death. My consequent planned arrest and detention effectively alleviated the anxieties and worries of Prof Tagoe resulting from student's protestations against his policies. My arrest was also a form of vengeance for being his long standing critic and was done in order to greatly embarrass me and deny me the opportunity to complete my University education.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, despite my predicament, I am still speaking. I owe a duty to Ghana, and my conviction, as that of all students is that quality education has a role to play in our quest to gain economic independence. We cannot explain recent concerns on the issue of falling standards of education and the consequent rejection of graduates from our premier University by industry which have made national headlines in our newspapers without reference to the behaviour, leadership style and approach to policy implementations by persons placed in-charge of such strategic national institutions like the University of Ghana. Whoever appointed Prof Nii Boi Tagoe as Vice-chancellor has every reason to reconsider his decision- and do what is right for our country, particularly in reference to the mission statement of the University, the visitation panel report and the complete collapse of anything academic – except the “chewing and pouring” of lecture notes.

In the quest of Prof Tagoe to gag students and impose his will on everybody, he has prohibited all forms of student gatherings except those of them for which he approves of the agenda. As if that is not enough, his introduction of IN-OUT-OUT-OUT Residential policy has reduced the campus to only freshmen, who know too little to question the system, and a few final year students who are very busy with their academic projects and perhaps are too scared to be in the bad books of the Vice-Chancellor. Students live in fear on the University of Ghana campus and student leaders dare not talk or they risk their positions in the University. My predicament serves as a great lesson to them.

Sir John Daniels, who chaired a visitation panel and led an eminent panel to evaluate affairs on the University of Ghana campus said '....students are not well represented on the governance of the university......they are not satisfied with the constitutional role of the dean of students and wish to represent themselves in discussions with the university authorities'...we recommend 'that the university introduces students representation on the council, the academic board, the faculty boards and committees of these bodies as appropriate'

The University of Ghana currently is bedevilled with deep-seated corruption and very jaundiced financial administration that does not only sin against the public good but stifles academic work. The report of the visitation panel on the finances of the University is at best a disgrace to anybody who has anything to do with the institution and this captured in the part of which states that “The investigation uncovered little positive to be said about the finance administrative system of the university. The team's (visitation panel) view is that the financial administrative system at the University of Ghana is in a very bad state, is not providing anything approaching the services needed by the university, and needs radical change. (Again), the financial administration of the university is a serious hindrance to the work of many of the faculties and other units of the University, damaging its teaching, research and the students experience, through inappropriate procedures and controls. It is very widely seen as secretive, unhelpful and damaging to the university-(they recommended)-the finance office should have new leadership at an early date. This is very likely to involve the recruitment of a new finance director”

Despite the outward beautification of the Legon campus, conditions within residential halls threaten life. Non-residents as well as residents pay hall attachment fees which are increased annually. In additional residential students pay residential fees as well as advances against anticipated damage to University property in the sum of about thirty Ghana cedis per student. Though students pay these amounts religiously they always get a raw deal and live in conditions that are not fit for human habitation. The visitation panel had this to say about the halls of residence...

“Some members of the committee visited commonwealth hall and found it to be in a very poor state .Student numbers were about four times the number that the hall was designed to accommodate. Hygienic conditions were bad; indeed the toilets were locked during our visit because of their horrible state and lack of water. All the students in this overcrowded hall have to use the surrounding bushes as their toilets. Every available space was utilised for sleeping. These conditions were impacting the students psychologically and some of them were vociferous in their protest. Lighting in the hall was inadequate and lights in the corridors were not working. The dining facility had been converted to reading space. The panel was told that the other halls were in a similar shape...” The committee therefore recommended that “the halls, particularly Commonwealth Hall, should be evacuated and rehabilitated before this degenerate further”.

It has been seven months since this report was published and as to be expected the Tagoe-led administration has done nothing about it.

To say the least academic content and infrastructure for academic work are the worse victims of these administrative lapses and incompetence of the Tagoe-led administration. 'The panel found during its visits to the departments and faculties that there was inadequate classroom and laboratory space for the number of students. Several departments complained of decaying lecture halls and teaching facilities and particularly of overcrowding. Faculty members wanted urgent steps to be taken to rehabilitate their facilities...lack of facilities for effective teaching, especially audio-visual aids and public address systems.'

I wish to save the other details of the report for another platform since members can read the full content of the report at the following website. Google the university of Ghana-visitation panel report. Please follow the option that comes up.

In conclusion, I wish to state that the police brutalities and assault, have not broken my will to fight for quality and affordable education for the vast majority of our youth whose future is being determined by reckless and short sighted public officials whose contributions to national development is the major reason why we remain so deprived as a country.

I wish to disassociate myself from the national award given to Prof Tagoe and express regret at the decision of the President. If I understand the purpose of the award correctly, then not only does Prof Tagoe not deserve the award but his inclusion in the list of recipients is a tacit endorsement of the negative activities of his administration and a compromise of the integrity and achievements of deserving personalities who were in the same category with him. I wish to call for the withdrawal of the award and the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor to pave way for a person who can correct all his lapses and be bold to implement the recommendations of the Visitation Panel Report which has been sweep under the carpet.

Posterity will reward all persons who have played a part of the process to guarantee the future of the next generation.

TRUTH STANDS (0244-825187 [email protected])