FUOYE: Established for academic learning, turned into battlefield

BY ISRAEL OJOKO

The Federal University, Oye, Ekiti is one of the 11 institutions established by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, just one year after taking over the top seat in the land following the demise of Musa Yar’Adua.

The Federal University, Dutsin-Ma in Katsina, The Federal University Lokoja, Kogi, Federal University, Otuoke, and the Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa, among others, are some of the institutions established during that period by Jonathan.

While these institutions have been able to manage their internal issues fairly, FUOYE has exposed itself to the world with continuous battles among its top management, with the latest being the removal or sack or termination of appointment, or whatever name you may be comfortable with, of its registrar, Olatunbosun Odusanya.

The action was taken by the FUOYE governing council, headed by Mohammad Yahuza on April 27, 2021 over allegations of misconduct.

FUOYE has been engrossed in crisis over the years. In retrospect, just before the immediate past vice-chancellor of the university, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, left the position, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
alleged that Soremekun had been running the university like a private entity and promoting culture of ethnicity, nepotism, financial recklessness and abridgement of due process for personal gains. However, most of these allegations may be baseless.

At the time (October 2020), the body accused Soremekun of trying to impose an unqualified professor and deputy vice-chancellor, Abayomi Fasina, as his successor.

ASUU said Fasina, who allegedly absconded from the Ekiti State University (EKSU) in 2015 and collected double salaries running into a sum of N3.4 million from the two universities for about six months, lacks the requisite integrity to be appointed a vice-chancellor.

However, that concern does not matter anymore, or for now, as Fasina was confirmed the new VC in February 2021.

Perhaps the Coronavirus pandemic and over eight months ASUU strike ensured that the most part of 2020 was less noisy in FUOYE, but back in 2019, the institution had also recorded crisis. In September that year, at least one student was reportedly shot dead by security agents during a protest.

According to reports, the students’ protest turned violent after police officers shot sporadically at students who tried to have a conversation with the wife of the Ekiti state governor, Bisi Fayemi, on poor electricity supply to the two university campuses in Oye Ekiti and Ikole Ekiti .

In 2018, several unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) had their different share of activism, which led to the disruption of peace in the institution for some period of time.

Even before the sudden death of the former bursar, Bashir Badmus, in 2017, FUOYE had been in battle with union leaders.

I can go on and on, but let me save the university further shame.

With every sector of the university, including students, having now had their bruises from the unending battle at FUOYE, many questions are running through my mind, including why has the institution, in a state known for its high number of scholars, turned into a battle field by those who are supposed to drive the school to greatness?

Like a fruit that dropped from its tree, the answers are not far-fetched.

The pursuit for power, coupled with greed can be attributed as some of the causes.

While the battle still rages on between the sacked registrar Odusanya and the new VC Prof. Fasina, it is worthy of note that when two or many elephants fight, as it is the case in FUOYE, it is the grass, the floor, the trees and other small animals that suffer the most.

A credible university is meant to look after the welfare of all its staff, carry out research, produce graduates who will proffer solutions to society problems, and stay focused in peace, unity and progress academically.

If professionalism and merit are allowed to take its course in recruitment, appointment and retrenchment as the case may be, the institution would not be tainted with bad image as it is right now.

The new VC must show good example by allowing the institution to focus on academic activities and end office politics, witch hunt, and anything that will sink the school deeper into mess.

Otherwise, the federal government must make a swift move and take over fully, the running of the institution and appoint neutral persons into top management positions based on merit, to pilot the affairs of the school and redeem its image.

Israel Ojoko can be reached via [email protected]