For over two
years, the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta have been in the news
over matters arising on petition to the EFCC on misappropriation of funds by
the institution Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole and the chairman of the
Governing council, Senator Adeseye
Ogunleye, the former Minister of Works.
After the
petition was sent to EFCC by unknown members of Staff who eventually turned out
to be a member of SSANU shows it must have been orchestrated by the
association. The duos were invited for questioning with documents and were
released without much ado.
The
association became more uncomfortable as they were expecting the EFCC and the
federal Ministry of Education to remove the Vice Chancellor unceremoniously
because of the allegation but this did not happen. Thus, various protests
sprang up in the School by the association in order to send a serious warning
to the management and to the Government to intervene in the crises rocking the
University.
From a
reliable source, Prof Olusola Oyewole,a senior pastor at the MFM now founder of
Divine Height church, Eleweran in Abeokuta succeed Prof O.O Balogun as Vice
Chancellor of the institution. Since assumption of office, his administrative
style has not been so enjoyable since he belongs to President Buhari generation
of strictness. He doesn’t approve largesse or allow unspent fund to be spent by
members of staff. People only go home with their normal monthly salary. While
these were going on, the Vice chancellor and the chairman of the council as well
as member of the governing council were embarking on trips and enjoying much
largesse from the University purse which to SSANU members is unacceptable.
Someone needs to help me remind SSANU members when they assumed the role of
watchdogs to the institution Vice Chancellor.
Let the
truth be told, Institutions top heads enjoy a great number of largesse in
office and votes which nobody can do anything about because it is all over the
country. That is why SSANU is not ASUU. Everybody within the University system
should stay in his or her lane. Monitoring and petition writing I believe is
not part of the rules and regulation guiding the conduct of any civil servant, this
can only be achieved by giving vital information’s to members of the public who
can do that without any sanction. The objective of neutrality in the
public/Civil service must be adhered to strictly by any employee.
Also, Prof
Oyewole also should know that FUNAAB is not the church he is pastoring. It
should be eat and lets other eat. If he is a saint and does not disburse money
anyhow, he is not meant to run for such a public office which allows a high
level of compromise as far as Nigeria is concerned.
Now that we
have been able to identify the grievances of the SSANU members, it is totally
wrong for the governing cancel to sack 23 SSANU members who are monitoring
their extravagant lives so as to continue enjoying without monitoring. The
council should have drawn them closer, give them some bread and let them keep
their mouth shut.
Recession is
biting harder while the common man and public servant are the worst hit due to
the rising cost of goods in the market so this might have formed part of their
anger for writing such petition without due process.
On this note,
I appeal to the Vice Chancellor, Chairman of the Governing board, members as
well as the Ministry of Education to look at a way of resolving the differences
as well as restore the 23 sacked workers because of hunger and their family.
Things are pretty hard these days. In
case the management reconsiders and organise a peace meeting, everybody should
be told his or her role so that no one will be going out of his work schedule
and be interfering in another person’s style after all, not all the
administration can be favourable to us all.
FUNAAB will
not scatter!
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