VC Appointment: FUOYE Workers Seek Cancelation Of Process, Want Incumbent VC To Go On Leave

As controversies continue to trail the ongoing appointment of a new Vice Chancellor (VC), for the Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), workers unions in the university have joined call for the outgoing VC, Prof Kayode Soremekun to proceed on terminal leave so as to give room for transparency and avoid interference in the process.

Four out of the five external members of the University Governing Council, including representative of Ministry of Education are said to have excused themselves from the process of selecting a new VC as a result of the alleged way and manner the management was going about the selection process.

Latest is a letter to the Minister of Education, signed by chairmen and secretaries of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

The decision to write the Federal Government was reached at the congresses of the unions held within the university premises.

The letter was signed by Comrades Ojumoola Ayodele, Oyelude Yekeen, Abioye James, Ayeni Abraham, Faleye Benjamin O. and, Babafemi Oluwasola, chairmen and secretaries of SSANU, NASU and NAAT respectively.

The unions alleged that the University Governing Council did not follow due process in the VC selection and “such is not good for the future of the university.”

They alleged that the process for the appointment of the new VC had been characterized with irregularities, owing to the desperate attempt by some powerful organs of the university to impose their anointed candidates.

According to them, two out of the external members of the council had backed off following allegation of irregularities and compromise which they could not bear, hence the need for due investigation by government into the matter.

Other request by the unions was on the need for the Ministry of Education to mandate the VC to embark of a terminal leave so as to give room for transparency and avoid interference in the process as done in other places were similar drama ensued.

When contacted on the telephone, the Deputy Director Corporate Services, Federal University Oye Ekiti, Mr Adeyinka Ademuyiwa denied the allegations saying the council had been working eagerly in line with the terms of reference.

According to him, the allegation that some of the members of the council pulled out was very untrue saying members have been attending every meeting called and quorum were formed in all meetings.

Alleging that some may have vested interest for their own pecuniary gains, she said both out-going VC and current Chairman of the Council, Dr. Mohammed Yahuza have allowed the process to be fair and transparent, adding that neither of the two have any preffered candidate or making plans to impose any.

He claimed that some people were only trying to politicize the issue, adding that the request for an Acting Vice Chancellor was also absorb as the tenure of the current VC subsists.