There is no peace on campus - Concern Staff of UEW responds to Registrar

Concerned Staff of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has responded to the Acting Registrar of the University, Mrs Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah over comments she made regarding their earlier press statement issued, demanding the interdiction of the Council Chairman.

Prof. George Kankam, Snr. who signed another press release on behalf of the Concerned Staff of UEW, responding to the Acting Registrar indicated that there is no peace on campus as claimed by her.

According to Prof. George Kankam, Snr. in the last couple of weeks, two (2) former employees and four (4) active staff of the University have been accused of financial malfeasance and have been directed to step aside.

One of the former employees, Dr. Isaac Marfo Oduro whom he said was accused of dereliction of duty, in his response on 31st May, 2023 accused the current Management of UEW of indulging in create, loot and share.

Prof. George Kankam, Snr. who attached a copy of Dr. Isaac Marfo Oduro’s response to their press release asked why Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah was silent on the accusations leveled against the current Management of UEW by Dr. Isaac Marfo Oduro.

The silence of Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah on this issue, he said, intertwined with the blatant refusal of the Council Chairman to take steps to implement the recommendations of the 2021 VC Search Committee Report has further heightened tension in UEW.

“If others have been accused of financial malfeasance and asked to step aside, why are others still in office when they have been accused of same?” he asked.

Below is the full Press Release and the attached Dr. Isaac Marfo Oduro’s response

Concerned Staff Response to Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah, Ag. Registrar, University of Education, Winneba (UEW)

For Immediate Release
Monday, 5th June, 2023.
In her Rejoinder to the Press Statement of we the Concerned Staff of UEW, Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah stated that: A statement by a certain concerned staff of UEW signed by Prof. George Kankam Snr., which he later followed up with an interview on Eyewitness News of Citi FM on Thursday, 1s June, 2023, in connection with the above-mentioned subject, has come to our attention”.

She further fumbles that: “Be that as it may, we wish to respond as follows”.

One is at a loss as to why all those whose attention was drawn to the Press Statement by the Concerned Staff and all those who wished to respond, did not all sign the Press Release of Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah.

Prof. Kankam Snr. signed on behalf of a group, so it is erroneous to state that it was a statement by a certain concerned staff.

1. Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah claimed under her point one that there is absolute peace on campus. This is laughable!

In the last couple of weeks, two (2) former employees and four (4) active staff of UEW have been accused of financial malfeasance and the active staff have been directed to step aside. One of the former employees, Dr. Isaac Marfo Oduro (accused of dereliction of duty), in his response on 31″ May, 2023 accused the current Management of UEW of indulging in create, loot and share (a copy of Dr. Isaac Marfo Oduro’s response is attached).

Why is Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah silent on the accusations levelled against the current Management of UEW by Dr. Isaac Marfo Oduro? The silence of Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah on this issue, intertwined with the blatant refusal of the Council Chaiman to take steps to implement the recommendations of the 2021 VC Search Committee Report has further heightened tension in UEW. If others have been accused of financial malfeasance and asked to step aside, why are others still in office when they have been accused of same?

2. If Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah and her associates weren’t aware of the existence of the 2021 VC Search Committee Report, then on what grounds was Prof. Stephen J. Mitchual being touted around as the next Vice-Chancellor (VC) of UEW; and introduced as such by someone to the President of the Republic during the recent Investiture of the Chancellor?

3. Nowhere in the Press Statement by we the Concerned Staff did we state that the recently appointed Chancellor was not shortlisted. This is erroneous on the part of Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete Mensah.

4. Another incorrect submission by Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah. We stated that the unseen hand (someone else) did the said introduction, and not the beleaguered Council Chairman.

5. Interestingly, Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah admitted that the said joint Press Statement was actually released. The circumstances under which it was retracted is an open secret.

5. This is a clear attempt by Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah to mislead the public, and she has dramatically failed. It is highly unconventional, and against all established procedures that a Council Chairman proposed a particular candidate among a shortlist of three (3) for appointment.

This is what we the Concerned Staff are concerned with here.

7. Previously, the University vehicle picks the Chairman of Council from his home or wherever he maybe, to the Council Meeting venue and proceed to drop the Chairman back to his home or wherever, and the vehicle returns to the University immediately the Council Chairman is dropped off. However, in the case of the current Council Chairman, the vehicle (GC 5867-20), is permanently stationed with him together with a driver.

8. UEW doesn���t have separate National Laws governing it. The laws of Ghana apply uniformly to both UEW and the University of Ghana, Legon (UG). A Search Committee was set up by UG, just like UEW. Both ended up at the High Court. A precedent was set in the case of UG. Why didn’t UEW go the UG way?

9. There is no Statutory provision in UEW Statutes against those on post-retirement contracts holding positions of responsibility. It is a Directive from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), directing all tertiary institutions in Ghana to desist from appointing those on post-retirement contracts to headship positions. Nowhere in the Concerned Staff Press Statement is it mentioned that Prof. Kankam Snr. represented Convocation on the 202 1VC

Search Committee. Another ambiguous statement by Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah, which is tantamount to a clear intent to deceive the public.

10. Readers can glean from the above rebuttals as to who is a liar. If Prof. George Kankam Snr. is known to spew lies, then Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah, is very well-known to create, polish and share lies! Even though the issue about contracts wasn’t part of the Concerned Staff Press Statement, it is obvious that it has been deliberately thrown in by Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah as a tool to divert attention from the core issues. We challenge Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah, to substantiate her claim that: “About two weeks ago, he wrote to the Chairman alleging the award of two contracts at the university at the cost of GHS 100 million each to …”

Similarly, we challenge her to provide documentary proof to back her claim that Prof. Kankam, has for some time made unsuccessful overtures to win favours from the chairman.

A post-retirement contract, just like the issue of contracts, didn’t form part of the issues raised by we the Concerned Staff in our Press Statement dated 1st June, 2023. therefore, it is clear that Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah has no answers to the substantive issues we raised, and as a result, has resorted to insults and personal attacks against the signatory of our Press Statement, purposely to divert the attention of the public from the fundamental issues in our Press Statement, which she has awfully failed to achieve.

Judging from the deceptive statements Of Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah as outlined above, it is clear that she is not a credible person, so the general public is accordingly advised to treat her pooh-poohs with the contempt that they rightly deserve.

We wish to put on record that we are not morally bankrupt like Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah to issue a statement on 4th June, 2023, and mischievously back date it to 2nd June, 2023 (evidence of this moral decay symptom exhibited by Mrs. Wilhelmina Tete-Mensah with regard to her response to our initial Press Statement) is on the UEW website). A swift and not a belated response to this our second release, would be most welcome!

Issued by Concerned Staff, UEW
Signed:
Prof. George Kankam, Snr. (0209024356)