FUOYE lecturers disown ASUU Zonal Coordinator over comments on mgt
Strong indications emerged, on Wednesday, that lecturers at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, FUOYE, have again disowned Professor Olu Olu, the ASUU Zonal Coordinator.
This was done in reaction to comments which the ASUU Zonal Coordinator made against the FUOYE University management in a recent newspaper interview.
Also, other key members of the union have come out to, again, disown Prof Olu, over comments he passed against the outgoing VC and his management team in a recent interview he granted a national daily.
While denying all allegations of mismanagement Professor Olu held against the VC and his management team, the zonal members of ASUU said Olu was speaking only for himself and not for any member of ASUU in FUOYE.
Speaking to Vanguard, a leader of the ASUU faction in FUOYE, Prof. Sola Omotola, said his group, The Concerned ASUU, CASUU, still stands on its position since 2018 when the leadership crisis broke out.
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Oyedokun Ali debunked allegations of illegal promotions, mismanagement of funds and gross incompetence, among other accusations levelled by the now disowned and impeached Omonijo-led ASUU against FUOYE VC, describing them as baseless and unfounded.
Oyedokun said: “Our members felt the problem was not really about ASUU; it was about one man.
“To us, impeaching him has been the only way for us to make progress; that is where we stand.
“ASUU congress had earlier met in October 2018 and resolved that Dr Omonijo must be removed. The motion was moved and the resolution taken to that effect.
“But efforts to realise that was sabotaged by Prof Olu, because he stopped the letter we sent to the ASUU National Executive Committee.
“Despite this, we insist that the Congress is supreme and we decided to assert its supremacy and proceed won the impeachment. On that, we stand.”
Meanwhile, a former Secretary of ASUU at the local branch in FUOYE who served with Dr. Omonijo, Dr. Jonathan Mbachaga, said: “Dr. Omonijo has been a high-handed leader when he was the ASUU chairman.
“From my understanding, ASUU members in FUOYE have since denounced his leadership due to his high-handedness and insensitivity.”
Reacting to Olu Olu’s claims that he was not appointable as a Professor, Professor Abayomi Fasina, FUOYE’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, said he had gone on Sabbatical to FUOYE before his appointment as Visiting Professor.
He added that the appointment followed due process and had the approval of the Federal Character Commission who witnessed the interview.
He said: “What Professor Olu said in that interview are just same old lies. After my sabbatical, and it was clear I still had some workloads to complete, I had to use my accumulated leave to complete the workloads.
“After that, l was appointed as Visiting Professor to FUOYE. Later, the VC found me useful in other important areas such as administration and security matters on campus and asked me to apply for permanent appointment with FUOYE.
“I was interviewed and the representative of Federal Character Commission was present at the interview. I was appointed as a Professor in FUOYE.
“The Federal Character Commission also gave a letter of compliance to back up my appointment. This made me to transfer my service from EKSU to FUOYE in September 2017.
“As for Prof Olu’s comments that our VC has refused to pay Dr. Omonijo half of his salary since his suspension, the truth is that it was Dr. Omonijo himself dragged the University to court over the management’s position that he committed gross misconduct.
“So, as he himself knows, until the court proceeding is over, he cannot be paid. It is even a contempt of the court for Professor Olu to be discussing such matter on the pages of newspapers.”
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Also speaking, Barrister Ige, Convener, Congress for University Academics, CONUA, FUOYE chapter, a breakaway from ASUU with local branches in some universities across the country, attributed his group’s decision to break away from ASUU in FUOYE to leadership crisis blamed on Dr. Omonijo.
He said: “I have met the management on the matter of Dr. Omonijo and l discovered the offence he was alleged to have committed as an academic staff.
“He did not make himself available to all internal mechanism of resolving issues in the university but instead, ran to court where he is at present.
“CONUA, FUOYE chapter, broke away from ASUU as a result of the opaque leadership style of the Omonijo-led group in the school.
“We as a group do not have any secret pact with anybody in the university; whether the management or otherwise.
“The remnant of ASUU in FUOYE has disowned the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Olu, several times; and l doubt if he is talking on behalf of FUOYE ASUU. He must be talking for himself.”