FUOYE denies VC’s involvement in arrest of SSANU members

… warns against blackmail

The Management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti(FUOYE) has refuted allegations by the institution’s chapter of the Senior Staff Association of the Nigerian Universities (SSANU) that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina, was behind the recent arrest and detention of some of its executives.

SSANU leadership had on Monday accused the VC of instigating crisis in the university which they said may affect the peace of the state.

The university, in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Registrar, Ibrahim Muftau, described the claim as a deliberate falsehood and a calculated attempt to malign the reputation of the Vice-Chancellor and the image of the university.

Muftau said the claims by the SSANU leadership were misleading and entirely baseless, noting that the VC had no authority to order or influence police operations.

Dismissing the allegations of the VC’s involvement in the arrest, the Registrar clarified that Professor Fasina was on official engagement at the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja, when the union officials were invited by the police.

Muftau said that it was “illogical and mischievous” for anyone to associate the Vice-Chancellor with the arrest or detention of the union officials, noting that his intervention actually facilitated their release.

Quoting a police source, the Registrar stated that the SSANU officials were “unruly” during their engagement with officers, refusing to cooperate or provide written statements.

The police, he said, emphasized that the invitation was a routine administrative exercise and that “no individual is above the law.”

He said the Chairman of the Governing Council, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, had recently sent two members of the council to attend the SSANU congress as part of ongoing peace efforts.

“It is therefore puzzling that out of the five trade unions operating on campus, only the SSANU has continued to exhibit hostility towards the Vice Chancellor and his administration, despite the university management’s consistent olive branch and open-door policy”, he added.

Also, the Special Adviser to the VC on Media, Dr Wole Balogun, while denying the allegations, said, “Such claims are indeed laughable, unfortunate, and utterly false. Professor Fasina is an academic and administrator of high repute, not a politician. His record of integrity and professionalism is unquestionable.

“The same characters who now parade themselves as defenders of justice have a well-documented record of insubordination and violence. If anyone should be investigated for plans to disrupt the peace or the forthcoming elections, it should be these local SSANU leaders, not Professor Fasina.”