Former VC says UPSA founder never asked for renaming

A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA), Professor Joshua Alabi has said that the founder of the school never asked for the institute to be renamed after him.

He was speaking on Accra-based Class FM after the institution was renamed after the founder Nana J. K. Opoku-Ampomah.

The tertiary institution is to be known as Nana J. K. Opoku-Ampomah University of Professional Studies.

Prof Alabi explained that during his tenure, “the man never ever; what he rather asked for was for us, through his lawyers, to give him 25 percent of all revenue from the university, which we declined; that is what he asked for, so, he never ever asked us for a change.”

He said the government compensated the founder before taking over the university.

Prof Alabi said that the recommendation for a name-change came from the university’s council.

He argued that the university is under a different management and if they feel that the change in name will help improve and develop it further, then it is totally a leadership decision.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has commended the Governing Council of the University for its decision, in accordance with the Statutes of the University, to rename the school after the founder.

He said, “It is a most excellent decision, which has received the approval of the President of the Republic, so that, once the parliamentary process has been completed, this university will be called thenceforth the Opoku Ampomah University of Professional Studies.”

President Akufo-Addo was speaking when he delivered the keynote address at events marking the 4th special Congregation ceremony of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) on Wednesday (April 25, 2018).

The Congregation ceremony, amongst others, also conferred honorary doctorate degrees on Nana J. K. Opoku-Ampomah, founder and first director of the Institute of Professional Studies and Ahmad Ahmad, Vice President of FIFA, the world governing body of football and President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).