AAU Ekpoma Student Graduates for over Two Years urged new Ag. VC, Prof Olowo to release their Results/Certificates

Ambrose Alli University, (AAU)Ekpoma might have lost the steam of the founding father, late Prof. Ambrose Alli who introduced free education during the defunct Bendel State as the institution has always been unsettled by the emergence of new Vice Chancellors at every turn, while all the problems bedevilling the institution that have held the students that have graduated for over two years from departments such as Nursing Science, Medical laboratory Science, among others by the jugular remain unresolved.

Gentechnews has been following this development in AAU Ekpoma for many years and wants to draw the attention of the current Ag. VC, Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel that AAU Ekpoma is still harbouring baggage of graduates without final year statement of results or certificates while those in the Nursing Science Department, who have passed their Nursing and Midwifery Council Exam for over two years have not been inducted because AAU Ekpoma has not released their final year results.

Gentechnews recently reported how the Nursing Science graduates wrote a petition under the aegis of Depressed and Tired Professional Graduates of the 2017 set AAU Nursing Science addressed to the immediate past Acting VC, AAU, Prof Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin and other management staff of the institution over the prolonged delay in the release of final results and subsequent induction despite completing their programme for over one year and two months.

These Students of Nursing Science Department of Ambrose Alli University, (AAU)Ekpoma, approximately 300, who gained admission to the institution in 2016/2017 have been begging the management and Senate of AAU Ekpoma to as a matter of urgency release their final year results and certificates after over one year of graduating from the institution.

According to the depressed graduates’ petition made available to Gentechnews, “We found ourselves still waiting, caught in an indefinite limbo that is affecting our professional progression and causing indefinite distress.

“On 1st April we wrote a formal letter to the VC who graciously promised to intervene and expedite the process. Unfortunately, despite some results being released, the process remains incomplete.

“As of today, we have neither received our full results nor been inducted, leaving us effectively trapped within the university system.

“The prolonged delay is affecting our ability to move forward in our careers, apply for professional opportunities and contribute meaningfully to the health sector.

“It is creating unnecessary financial and emotional burdens on us and our families as many of us have been forced to put our lives on hold.

“We seek clear communication on the status of our results and a definite timeline for the release of our full results and scheduling of our induction”.

They stated further that their transition from students to professional are being unduly hindered and plan to embark on peaceful protest to demand for their rights where all else fails.

In a related development, the Nursing Science graduates of 2017/2018 set numbering 500 are also appealing to the Ag. VC, Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel, the management and the Senate of AAU Ekpoma to avert the hiccup in the release of their final results like their senior colleagues as they also have passed the National Nursing and Midwifery Council Exam and awaiting their inducting into the Nursing profession and are also being delayed by their AAU Ekpoma final year results.

Accordingly, the Nursing Science graduates of the 2017/2018 set are also requesting for the full release of their final year results and for a combined induction ceremony with the 2016/2017 set this year.

Gentechnews gathered from the Nursing Science graduates that the journey to their professional career includes induction into the nursing profession, one year internship and thereafter one-year National Youth Service Corps programme.

According to one of the distressed students “What is going on with respect to the release of our final results are inhibiting our progress in life because we are not getting younger and the employability criteria in both civil service and public sector is bound to catch up with many of us in terms of age and request for working experiences.

“It is only in AAU Ekpoma that you can find students graduating without getting results and being mobilized for NYSC immediately. It is unfortunate as many parents are regretting sending their children to study here. We pray that the school’s VC, and the Senate will approve our final results to enable us to get inducted into the Nursing profession to enable us to contribute our quota to the growth of the health sector.”

However, Gentechnews commends the immediate past Acting VC AAU, Prof Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin who has a listening ear by following most of the insight from Gentechnews and did a lot by clearing some of the rot in the AAU Ekpoma, ranging from admission, release of delayed results in other departments to the students’ Kofa, among others.

Gentechnews believe that the task before the new Ag, VC, Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel is enormous because the ICT Department need total overhaul while the committee headed by the AAU Ekpoma Deputy Vice Chancellor that was set up to look into the issue of delay in the release of the students who graduated for over two years from departments such as Nursing Science, Medical laboratory Science, among others without final year statement of results or certificates have not lived up to expectation.

Gentechnews believe that the future of these students who graduated for over two years from departments such as Nursing Science, Medical laboratory Science, among others are in limbo because many of them cannot undertake the NYSC Programme, while the employability policies of private and public organization that demand for experiences as well as age below 25 years have caught up with many.

Gentechnews also believes that the compilation and release of results is not rocket science as has been experienced in AAU Ekpoma for many years.

Gentechnews urges the new Ag, VC, Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel to emulate other institutions in Nigeria on release of results immediately the students graduate and as a matter of urgency give serious attention to the release of these results and ensure the induction of the two sets of students’ graduates from the Nursing Science Department who have passed the Nursing and Midwifery exams this year.