OAU closed after protests as new VC takes over
The crisis rocking the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, is yet to fade away even as the new Vice Chancellor, Professor Ayobami Salami, was appointed after the expiration of the tenure of his predecessor, Professor Bamitale Omole, last week Thursday.
The academic and nonacademic staff, as well as the students of the university, sustained their protests against the former VC who was accused of dishonesty. They called for his probe and demanded his removal but he succeeded in completing his tenure.
Towards the end of Professor Omole’s tenure, series of events unfolded that unsettled the university community.
At the outset, both staff and students protested against the leadership style of the former VC and called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies to probe him over allegations of misappropriation of the resources of the institution.
Instead, the management suspended the leaders of students’ union body who earlier complained of poor amenities on the campus and joined the call for the probe of Prof Omole. Students’ union activities were also banned.
Some students under the aegis of Alliance of Nigerian Students against Neo-Liberal Attacks (ANSA) staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo against the management’s decision.
According to a statement issued by the students, “It is our opinion that President Muhammadu Buhari must show that the war against corruption is not a mere political propaganda, but a practical effort to make Nigeria work for Nigerians and we can only be convinced of the sincerity of Buhari’s anticorruption war when EFCC probes Prof Omole.”
The statement which was titled “Save our soul: Attacks of OAU Authorities on Democratic Rights of Students is Turning OAU into Banana Republic,” called for reinstatement of the suspended students’ leaders.
Speaking on behalf of other students, Wole Olubanji said the students were ready to provide evidence to the EFCC to prove that the VC truly mismanaged the resource of the university.
He said, “The suspension of students’ union activities and suspension of officers of the union are unjustifiable and must be reversed, because it is not a crime to demand for transparency and accountability in our community.”
Reacting to allegations against Prof. Omole, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, said anyone with tangible evidence on allegations leveled against Prof Omole should channel such through the appropriate quarters and allow peace to reign on the campus.
Again, weeks before the expiration of the tenure of Prof. Omole, there were indications that his deputy VC, Professor Salami, could be appointed to succeed him and members of Non-Academic Staff of Universities (NASU) who were not happy with the development instituted a legal action at the Industrial Court to stop the appointment process.
However, the governing council eventually appointed Prof. Salami as the new VC. This did not go down well with NASU which believed that Prof. Salami was a crony of Prof. Omole and that he would not be ready to probe his predecessor.
A number of staff and students, including the leadership of OAU of Academic Staff of Union of Universities (ASUU), soft-pedaled in their struggles and promised to support Prof. Salami.
The development later split ASUU after some professors frowned at the manner in which the chairman of the union, Dr. Caleb Aborisade, accepted the appointment of Prof. Salami as the new VC without consultations.
The aggrieved professors faulted the selection process that culminated into the appointment of Salami as the new VC. They claimed that the ASUU chairman did not get the approval of the association before he made an earlier statement in which he pledged the support of ASUU for the new VC.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, Professor Akinola Adegbola Peter of the Department of Mathematics said the ASUU chairman shouldn’t have conceded that the process of selection and appointment of the new VC was free and fair.
He said, “Our position is that there is no direct role assigned to the ASUU in the appointment of a VC and that should be a sufficient statement than for the chairman of ASUU to go further to say that those who have found fault in the process have to complain and to cry foul. We mince no words in saying that if the process of the selection of a new VC was free, fair and transparent; we would have no problem with whoever emerges.”
In his reaction, the ASUU chairman, Dr. Aborisade said the aggrieved members of the association who were opposing him on the issue of the new VC were not active members of ASUU and that they have not been regular in the congress.
A 500 level student of Electrical and Electronics who is also the president of a union known as the Liberal, Agolo Samson, said since Prof. Salami was qualified for the office of the VC, he should be supported. He said what is paramount to the students is a smooth academic calendar.
As the controversy continues, the new VC said his regime would be transparent and sought the support of staff and students.
“I am not unmindful of the humongous challenges of my new responsibility as the 11th Vice Chancellor of this great institution, especially within the context of our experience of the most recent past. We cannot lose sight of the fact that it is a very trying period of our enviable history. Nonetheless, the work of moving our university to the next level must be done, as I pledged to do prior to my appointment. Let me make a clarion call on all stakeholders, including all staff, our alumni, friends, benefactors as well as all and sundry to join hands with this new administration which has pledged to be firm, just, equitable and independent in running the affairs of our institution,” he said.
Barely two days to the VC’s appointment, NASU and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (SSANU) members staged protests over non-payment of allowances and the university was eventually closed. The workers also rejected the process that led to the appointment of Prof. Salami as VC.
The Registrar, Dotun Awoyemi, said: “We have shut down the university indefinitely pending the time we will resolve issues with our workers, NASU and SSANU. We have asked our new students to go home and postponed the resumption of old students indefinitely.”