FUOYE dismisses ASUU’s allegations

AUTHORITIES of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti have dismissed as “unfounded lies” the several allegations raised against the institution’s vice chancellor, Professor Kayode Soremekun, by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

On Monday, August 19, 2019 in Ado-Ekiti, the Akure Zone of ASUU had at a press conference addressed by the zonal coordinator and chairperson ASUU/EKSU, Professor Olu Olufayo; in company with chairpersons ASUU/FUTA, Dr Bola Oniya; ASUU/OAU, Dr Adeola Egbedokun and ASUU/FUOYE, Dr Akinyemi Omonijo accused Professor Soremekun of turning FUOYE into “a garden of patronage and sycophancy”, and exhibiting “oppressive behaviour towards criticisms.”

It also accused the vice chancellor of “impunity and administrative recklessness”, among other allegations, and expressed displeasure that despite repeated calls, the Federal Government had failed to send a visitation panel to the institution to ascertain these claims and put things right.

But in a rebuttal from the university signed by Mr Geoffrey Bakji, the university dismissed the allegations as laughable and deliberate misinformation.

On the allegation of tyranny against the VC, Bakji said the union was only crying wolf because nemesis caught up with three of its members: the chairperson of the FUOYE chapter of ASUU, Dr Akinyemi Omonijo; Drs Niyi Ajisafe Akingbe and Olugbenga Adeyemi, who he said were justifiably punished for their offences.

According to him, the ASUU in FUOYE is currently in disarray owing to the “unprincipled character” of Dr. Omonijo, who he said has been disowned by the union he leads “owing to his gross official misconduct.”

Omonijo was said to have been suspended for making wild and unsubstantiated allegations against the university’s management.

According to Bakji, Drs Akingbe and Adeyemi (whom he described as Omonijo’s accomplices) have since been dismissed from the university for gross misconduct, “the former for the inglorious act of plagiarism and misuse of TETFund funds, and the latter also for the misuse of TETFund funds.”

On the issue of poor infrastructure, the university’s image maker said it is not peculiar to FUOYE, but that there are pieces of “incontrovertible evidence that students and lecturers of the university, on a daily basis, send WhatsApp messages lauding the ingenuity of Professor Soremekun in providing befitting infrastructural and learning facilities on the campuses of the institution.”

He said since assuming office, the vice chancellor had initiated, built and still building over 40 projects.

• We’ve provided N4bn for NOUN permanent site — TETFund

Bakji cited as an attestation to the VC’s outstanding performance the recent award of excellence conferred on him (Soremekun) by FUOYE’s Students’ Union in recognition of “his unprecedented contribution to improved learning conditions, increased accreditation of programmes and infrastructure development.”

On the allegation that an acting bursar had spent over 20 months as against the statutes that dictate a six-month acting capacity, he explained: “The former bursar died suddenly in 2017, and shortly after that, the then chairman of the university council resigned; and to that extent, there was a vacuum.

“It is instructive to appreciate that only the council is responsible for setting in motion the process of appointing a substantive bursar. And it was only recently that the Federal Government appointed a new chairman for the governing council.”

While describing the ASUU zonal leadership as “a bunch of cretins,” Bakji advised the union in the zone “to live up to expectations and emulate exemplary leaders like Professors Lai Olorode, Dipo Fashina, Attahiru Jega and Assisi Asobie who had paid their dues to the union without any damage to their respective reputations.”