This morning, Secretary/Director of the Critchlow Labour College, Lincoln Lewis, arrived at the College’s Woolford Avenue premises with staff and a bulldozer to remove a fence to allow access to the compound, after the gates were locked by Dr. Stanley Paul of the University of University of Excellence, Management and Business Global (UEMB). Paul subsequently turned up, escalating an already tense dispute over control of the compound.
Critchlow Labour College holds the lease for the land from the City of Georgetown and retains lawful control of the property, per said lease. However, Dr. Paul has asserted ownership of the entire premises, despite previously occupying only a section of the compound as a tenant. His claim intensified following two fires last year that severely damaged the College’s buildings.
The fires, which occurred in March and July, destroyed significant portions of the compound. Police have not yet pronounced on the cause of the first blaze but have classified the second as arson. Since then Paul has continued operating his private university from that location and has moved to consolidate control over the broader property.
Village Voice News understands that after the fires, Dr. Paul began claiming rights to the entire compound. That position directly contradicts the College’s stance that he was merely a tenant occupying office space.
The dispute deepened in December 2025 when the Georgetown Mayor and City Council issued a notice dated December 16, ordering the College to cease construction works and remove all unauthorised structures within 30 days. The notice warned that failure to comply would result in prosecution without further notice.
Determined to reassert control, Lewis went to the property this morning with an excavator to remove the fence. Paul, however, warned the machine operator that he was prepared to defend what he described as his property. The operator subsequently withdrew, and the fence remains in place.
Paul insists that Critchlow Labour College relinquished its rights to the property. He told reporters that on June 11, 2025, he entered into a 30-year commercial lease agreement with the College.
According to him, the alleged agreement was signed by Principal Dr. Ivor English and witnessed by Guyana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) President Norris Witter, three months after the first fire damaged sections of the property. Under the alleged agreement, the entire front building of the College—including areas later destroyed by fire—was leased to UEBA at a paltry monthly rental of $1 million, with a $4 million advance payment.
Dr. Paul said he began construction after the agreement was executed and the advance rent paid. According to him he has been renting since 2016. “After the fires, they were unable to restore the property. They invited me to enter a lease. I would not invest millions of dollars unless I was fully secured. We prepared the lease and involved lawyers,” he said.
He further claimed that once construction was well advanced, College officials attempted to collaborate with him, but he refused. He maintains that the lease grants him “full and absolute authority” over the premises, including control of all gates and entrances.
However, Lewis has categorically rejected the validity of the agreement. He stated that as Secretary of the Board, he is the legal representative of Critchlow Labour College and the only authorised signatory empowered to enter into any lease agreements on behalf of the institution. Under such an arrangement, no other officer or member has the authority to bind the College without the Board’s approval and his formal execution of the agreement. Lewis maintains that he signed no such lease and issued no instruction authorising anyone to do so.
The land at Woolford Avenue, Lewis explained, is itself leased to Critchlow Labour College by the City of Georgetown. Any sub-lease arrangement would also require approval of the City Council.
“If we are going to lease this place, we must first obtain permission from the Council—that is part of our agreement. Nobody can sign a lease for Critchlow Labour College unless authorised by the Board through me. I gave no such instructions,” Lewis said.
He noted that he was ill during the period when the alleged lease was executed and had no involvement in the discussions between Dr. English and Dr. Paul. After returning to the premises following the second fire, he found the gates locked and had since been denied access.
Lewis has indicated that the matter will be taken before the court, maintaining that any purported lease is null and void.
Meanwhile, reports have been made to the police alleging that Paul issued threats against City Councillor (ret’d) Lt. Colonel Lelon Saul, Secretary/Director Lincoln Lewis, Maintenance Supervisor Charles Greaves, and Principal Dr. Ivor English. Although complaints were reportedly filed, no investigation has been launched to date.
Staff members have also alleged that Paul previously made threats on the compound prior to the fires and have expressed fear for their safety.
This morning’s confrontation further underscored the volatility of the dispute. Dr. Paul was caught on tape warning the excavator operator that if he attempted to remove the fence, he had the right to defend his property and ‘wha come suh do.”
With competing claims of authority, unresolved fire investigations, and mounting legal challenges, the standoff over the Critchlow Labour College compound now appears headed for judicial resolution.
