The Osun State University, Osogbo, has been shut, reopened and shut again intermittently in the past few months as non-academic staff unions protest alleged highhandedness and mismanagement of funds by the current management. But the vice chancellor, Professor Labode Popoola, in this interview says the crises are orchestrated and sustained by few individuals who are uncomfortable with his zero tolerance for indiscipline and corruption. LAOLU HAROLDS brings excerpts.
T HERE are allegations of corruption against you; figures are being bandied: N106 million, N3 billion purportedly left behind by previous administration, and so on. Can you shed some light on these?
Well, allegations remain allegations. My worry about the media is that some of these things are not verified and they are published. I have NEVER been corrupt; I fight corruption. We have a situation of corruption fighting back. It’s as simple as that. I always like to refer people to my profile. It’s all allegations, lies, blatant ones. I didn’t inherit N3 billion. What I had in the papers handed over to me when I came in was N1.8 billion, including TETFund money, NEEDS assessment fund, grants owned by some researchers in this university – and you can’t even touch them! They don’t even belong to the university. The university was bankrupt when I took it over; but we found out later that there were debts owed close to a billion naira. The council knows about it. So, if some people under the guise of unionism would raise such allegations because they have issues with the vice chancellor, then something must be wrong somewhere. But I also need to add that since I came here, yes, I have made close to N2 billion through blocking of leakages, and insisting that school fees must be paid. We operate a no-fee-no-exam regime since I came. So, maybe they are also referring to the money that I made as being part of the money left behind by the past regime.
And we have managed whatever sources we have prudently. No university pays salaries ahead of me in this country – a state university that is not funded by the government. We barely receive about 25 per cent of our salary bill from government. Yet, for the 18 months that I have been here, we pay salaries by the 25th of every month. We have not paid this month because they say we are on strike; but I’m going to pay today (June 27), and it’s full salary, not modulated salary. If you are talking of N3 billion, I’ve done a simple arithmetic. I’ve been here for 18 months; if truly there was any N3 billion, divide it by 166 million, which is my wage bill. That would mean that in 18 months, I have stolen N166 million every month (snickers). That’s what it means! How reasonable is that? I’m not a corrupt person. I talk about it everywhere I go. You can’t bribe me. I’ve never taken it and I’ve never given it, but I’ve suffered for it. Go to the University of Ibadan; it’s the same problem that people have with me; that ‘he’s too rigid’. As a contractor you can’t come to me and say you want to give me something. What for? I don’t need it.
Can you identify the contentious issues between management and workers at UNIOSUN?
When you say ‘between management and workers’, that is too generic. At UNIOSUN, we have a group of people, very few, entrenched with interests; and they operate under the guise of unionism. They are not even up to 20! They were in charge of administration before I came here. They were controlling administration; and I think I’m beyond that. I’m not being immodest. I’m responsible to Council. It’s not possible for a group of people under unionism to control me. So, it’s just about vested interests. It’s no longer business as usual. We have blocked leakages. We are entrenching discipline. And you know people don’t like change – particularly when it affects their interests. That’s what we’re dealing with. It’s not about workers. We’re operating in a state where, added together, workers are being owed close to two years salary; and here is a subset of that state – an institution in that state – paying full salaries before the end of the month. Why would workers be fighting such a person? Workers are not fighting me; some individuals are fighting me, and they hide under unionism.
You spoke about corruption fighting back, and about blocking leakages. Can you tell us in specific terms examples of those leakages you blocked?
I can give you few examples. When I came here, we had a retainership relationship with one of the (telecommunication) networks; and we were paying about N9 million per quarter. But I thought it was too high. I invited them here and told them we were going to change (there are other networks we can partner with). (The cost) came down to N6 million. So, in a year we are saving about N12 million. I don’t know what that was used for, or why the university would prefer to pay higher than the market rate; but from N9 million per quarter, we are now paying N6 million. So, in a year, we are saving about N12 million!
To conduct examination in this university before I came here, it cost the university an average of N10 million to N12 million per semester; and I said: ‘look, I came from the University of Ibadan. As big as the University of Ibadan is, I’m not sure they spend up to that!’ Of course, I scrutinized things, working with my principal officers, particularly DVC Academics, and we spent less than N5 million last Rain Semester examination. This past Harmattan Semester, we spent much less!
I have a third one. I was handed a bill of N158 million for the accreditation of 19 programmes. Again, I said I’m not sure we spend up to this at the University of Ibadan; and we did our analysis. We called heads of departments. We ended up spending N54 million and all the 19 programmes were accredited! There are so many of them; so many!
I dare say that some of them (workers) are actually contractors. We have workers here who have people fronting for them; who have registered companies. We have busted them; so I’m not expecting that they will not resist this. It should interest you how we are able to pay salaries. We’re not funded, but we pay salaries. It should interest you.
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There is also this allegation that you raised some ‘kangaroo panel’ to dig up and revisit some cases that predate your administration, just because the unions’ leadership are putting some heat on you…
I’m not a trivial person; I’m not given to frivolities. Please, go and check my profile. I don’t even have time to think about such things. You have a situation where somebody was being investigated for receipt booklets that were lost, a finance officer; and the report came in at a time I was VC, and you now say that I revisited it. The report was very clear: these people should face SDC (Senate Disciplinary Committee); and you now say because I don’t like someone’s face, that’s why I constituted a kangaroo panel to dig up the case. What is kangaroo about the SDC? SDC is a committee of Council and Senate. The VC is the chairman. In my own case I decided I won’t be the chairman; that someone should sit on my behalf because I’m busy. I have other things to do to move the university forward. So, you now call a committee that you have a Council member there ‘kangaroo’? People disrupt meetings. The rules are very clear. Should we allow such things to go? I will not! It’s not in the interest of the university.
You probably are not aware of this: We have a list of about 24 people who collected TETFund grants. You can’t keep public fund for more than a number of days. If you don’t spend it, you return it. Some of the union leaders’ names are listed. I didn’t manufacture this. I didn’t give them the grants; the grants were given about three years ago. Now TETFund wrote to us that they wanted us to account for those grants. As a chief executive, what do you expect me to do? I’ll call for a list! They collected the grants, they (spent) it; and I said “Gentlemen, ladies, please return this money.” That’s the requirement of TETFund. I’m not TETFund, am I?
and then