*it is not true – Management
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Amidst the ongoing
one month warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), another crisis is brewing at the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti.
New Nigerian gathered that presently, some of the Institution’s academic staff under the aegis of Concerned Lecturers have raised alarm over alleged high-handedness of their Vice Chancellor, Professor Edward Olorunnisola Olanipekun.
The Concerned lecturers in a statement entitled; “‘RAIN’ OF QUERIES IN EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY: PROF EDWARD OLANIPEKUN ON THE PR0WL,” alleged the Vice Chancellor of persecuting lecturers in the University, and that the calm in the university under the leadership of Professor Olanipekun was peace of the graveyard,
“Professors in any university are very senior academics with the requisite mien, charisma and experience for mentoring and sustaining an enduring academic culture. Today, the scenario has changed for Ekiti State University under the ‘Sheriff’ who has obviously turned professors into ‘punch bags’ and has queried not less than 20 well-respected among them in the university for frivolous, baseless and, most times, selfish and pedantic reasons which clearly smack of envy, vendetta and mission to destroy accomplished and senior academics in the university,” it said
They added, “ Professors that have fallen victim of the high handedness, irascible and irrational display of academic rascality include Professors Olu Olufayo of the Department of Sociology who is the immediate-past chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), EKSU chapter; Professor I. E. Adeyeye of the Department of Chemistry, the immediate-past Dean of the Faculty of Science; and a former member of Council, Professor S. O. Adewole of the Department of Animal Science”
According to the Concerned lecturers, others included ” a former member of Council, Professor James Olaogun of the Department of Sociology; a well-respected cleric and former member of Council, Professor Femi Omotoso of the Department of Political Science; and the immediate-past Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Professor E. A. Akintayo of the Department of Chemistry.
The Concerned lecturers, also listed other to include former Council member, Professor I. Akomolede of the Faculty of Law who is a former Dean of the Faculty; a former member of Council, Professor S. O. Bandele of the Faculty of Education who is the immediate-past vice chancellor; Professor Popoola of the Faculty of Education, and Professor I. Babatunde of the Faculty of Law, a current member of the University Governing Council, among others.”
Speaking on the alleged high handedness, the Head of the university’s Media Unit, Mr Bode Olofinmuagun said the University management was not aware that any frivolous queries were issued to some lecturers, saying, “I am not aware of such frivolous queries issued any professor. I am not aware.”
In his comment, the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), EKSU chapter, Dr Kayode Arogundade stated that he would not say any query issued had anything to do with highhandedness or witch-hunting.
” If you are someone in Ekiti here and you want the good of the state, you will realize that what has been happening at EKSU since three years ago is not what we should be looking at. This is about the university portals ‘fraud.’ When the university sets up a committee to look into a matter and the committee submits its report, do we say the report should not be implemented? it’s been on for about three years”, he said
The ASUU Chairman added, “up till now, more than 160 students can’t find where the fees they paid went to; and this runs into millions of naira. It is those who fingers are pointed at that would get queried. As a matter of fact, we the unions in the university insisted that the report of the committee should be implemented,”
EKSU Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU), , Mr Temitayo Aguda on his part said if any such development was taking place in the university, the Ivory Tower had its own mechanism of resolving the issue.
“I can’t say if any such thing is happening or not. On the issue of usurpation of jobs of non-teaching staff, In the past, the Vice Chancellor had brought similar request to the Council, but we addressed the issue using the university mechanisms, and that was that. I am not sure that is happening now”, he said .
Comrade Aguda added, ” so, there is no reason to raise an eyebrow. We have our ways of regulating things. The university is a universe. Its procedures are bigger than any vice chancellor or even the council,”
New Nigerian gathered that presently, some of the Institution’s academic staff under the aegis of Concerned Lecturers have raised alarm over alleged high-handedness of their Vice Chancellor, Professor Edward Olorunnisola Olanipekun.
The Concerned lecturers in a statement entitled; “‘RAIN’ OF QUERIES IN EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY: PROF EDWARD OLANIPEKUN ON THE PR0WL,” alleged the Vice Chancellor of persecuting lecturers in the University, and that the calm in the university under the leadership of Professor Olanipekun was peace of the graveyard,
“Professors in any university are very senior academics with the requisite mien, charisma and experience for mentoring and sustaining an enduring academic culture. Today, the scenario has changed for Ekiti State University under the ‘Sheriff’ who has obviously turned professors into ‘punch bags’ and has queried not less than 20 well-respected among them in the university for frivolous, baseless and, most times, selfish and pedantic reasons which clearly smack of envy, vendetta and mission to destroy accomplished and senior academics in the university,” it said
They added, “ Professors that have fallen victim of the high handedness, irascible and irrational display of academic rascality include Professors Olu Olufayo of the Department of Sociology who is the immediate-past chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), EKSU chapter; Professor I. E. Adeyeye of the Department of Chemistry, the immediate-past Dean of the Faculty of Science; and a former member of Council, Professor S. O. Adewole of the Department of Animal Science”
According to the Concerned lecturers, others included ” a former member of Council, Professor James Olaogun of the Department of Sociology; a well-respected cleric and former member of Council, Professor Femi Omotoso of the Department of Political Science; and the immediate-past Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Professor E. A. Akintayo of the Department of Chemistry.
The Concerned lecturers, also listed other to include former Council member, Professor I. Akomolede of the Faculty of Law who is a former Dean of the Faculty; a former member of Council, Professor S. O. Bandele of the Faculty of Education who is the immediate-past vice chancellor; Professor Popoola of the Faculty of Education, and Professor I. Babatunde of the Faculty of Law, a current member of the University Governing Council, among others.”
Speaking on the alleged high handedness, the Head of the university’s Media Unit, Mr Bode Olofinmuagun said the University management was not aware that any frivolous queries were issued to some lecturers, saying, “I am not aware of such frivolous queries issued any professor. I am not aware.”
In his comment, the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), EKSU chapter, Dr Kayode Arogundade stated that he would not say any query issued had anything to do with highhandedness or witch-hunting.
” If you are someone in Ekiti here and you want the good of the state, you will realize that what has been happening at EKSU since three years ago is not what we should be looking at. This is about the university portals ‘fraud.’ When the university sets up a committee to look into a matter and the committee submits its report, do we say the report should not be implemented? it’s been on for about three years”, he said
The ASUU Chairman added, “up till now, more than 160 students can’t find where the fees they paid went to; and this runs into millions of naira. It is those who fingers are pointed at that would get queried. As a matter of fact, we the unions in the university insisted that the report of the committee should be implemented,”
EKSU Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU), , Mr Temitayo Aguda on his part said if any such development was taking place in the university, the Ivory Tower had its own mechanism of resolving the issue.
“I can’t say if any such thing is happening or not. On the issue of usurpation of jobs of non-teaching staff, In the past, the Vice Chancellor had brought similar request to the Council, but we addressed the issue using the university mechanisms, and that was that. I am not sure that is happening now”, he said .
Comrade Aguda added, ” so, there is no reason to raise an eyebrow. We have our ways of regulating things. The university is a universe. Its procedures are bigger than any vice chancellor or even the council,”
