Hundreds of members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and other members of staff of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), on Tuesday, trooped out with brooms and placards with different inscriptions to celebrate the sack of the institution’s Registrar, Mr Olatunbosun S.E. Odusanya.
With placards “no to impunity, Odusanya’s exit, joy to staff, we support Fasina’s leadership, FUOYE is free at last; no more crisis in FUOYE, sacked registrar must not be reinstated,” they danced round the institution, rejoicing that the institution was free of rancour, impunity and crisis following Odusanya’s exit.
The staff unions also passed a vote of confidence in the University Governing Council for its decision to sack Odusanya from office over misconduct as investigated and established in reports of a Committee on Review of Appointments made in the university between 1st August, 2020 and 10th February, 2021 and the Staff Disciplinary Committee.
However, the unions, which sang victory songs over Odusanya’s sack, said they were in support of the University Governing Council which relieved the erstwhile registrar of his appointment over gross misconduct.
Specifically, the unions’ leaders, Comrades Adu Olaoluwa (SSANU), Ojumoola Ayodele (NASU), Abioye James (NAAT), insisted that the unions’ members alongside members of staff would protest an attempt by political forces to reinstate Odusanya after his indictment by committees which investigated various infractions committed by the sacked registrar.
Odusanya was sacked a forthnight ago by the University Governing Council for violating Section 14 (3) of the Regulations Governing Condition of Service of Senior Staff of the University when he illegally recruited 337 staff.
Also, Odusanya was indicted for violating Public Service Rules 020102 and 030301 on a series of appointments he made between 1st August, 2020 and 10th February, 2021 by recruiting 337 staff against 291 documented in the appointment register while shunning former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode Soremekun’s directive in the recruitment of an over 64 year-old staff of a Polytechnic, who was billed for retirement in the next ten months as a Senior Lecturer.
A statement by Foluso Ogunmodede, the Chief Information Officer to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina, said SSANU, NASU, NAAT and other members of staff, who had assembled on the university’s premises as early as 9am, decried what they described as Odusanya’s plot to stage a comeback to the university after his sack in a petition to the Senate.
According to them, they would resist an attempt by any political force to reinstate Odusanya to office following his inglorious exit from FUOYE.
In the statement by Ogunmodede, the Unions and other members of staff said “we want to use this opportunity to pass a vote of implicit confidence in FUOYE’s Governing Council under the able leadership of Dr Muhamad Yahuza and the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, for the restoration of Good Governance, dignity of labour and prioritization of staff welfare in the university.”
The statement reads, “Members of the public would recall that FUOYE in the last five years, has been on the negative side of the media owing to the high level of impunity, victimization and intimidation of staff, abuse of power, managerial and administrative incompetency, flagrant disregard for due process, financial recklessness, unabated corrupt practices, employment/admission racketeering and irregularities as well as breakdown of industrial confidence as a result of managerial nihilism and non-compliance with the rule of law on the part of the managers of the University.
“Meanwhile, for all this malaise, we have cried out but to no avail!
“It is disheartening that the architect of the above systemic failure, Mr. Odusanya Olatubosun, who is solely responsible for his current predicament, is now going to the media to mislead and seek public sympathy, blaming his termination of appointment on the current Vice-Chancellor of FUOYE, Professor Abayomi Fasina, who just assumed office on 11th February, 2021.
“To set the record straight, Mr. Odusanya Olatubosun himself was a product of illegality into the university system and then he kept on the pace of the illegality until recently when he was caught by the long hand of the extant law governing the activities of the university.
“Mr Odusanya was involved in recruitment irregularities between 1st August, 2020 and 10th February, 2021.
“He was queried by the University Governing Council and was given a right of reply. His reply was not tenable enough for him to be exonerated from the allegation of misconduct.
“He was suspended to pave the way for a thorough and unhindered investigation. A disciplinary Committee was set up to look into the case, he appeared before the Committee and he was found culpable; and because the era of impunity is gone in FUOYE, he was punished accordingly for the offense which he has confessed to have committed during his appearance before both Review of Appointments Committee as well as the Staff Disciplinary Committee.
“The public should note the following:
- Mr. Odusanya singlehandedly initiated and concluded most of the illegal appointments, including Professors and Senior Administrative Officers;
- Most of the people he recruited did not submit application letters;
- Interviews were not conducted;
- The Governing Council of the University was not aware of the illegal recruitments;
- No budgetary provisions for the recruitments;
- Most of the appointment letters were issued in a Hotel Room in Ado-Ekiti as Mr. Odusanya ordered the Personnel Affairs Office of the University to be relocated to the Hotel in order to perpetrate the illegality at the expense of the University;
- No advertisement for the recruitments as required by statutes;
- Advice from Regulating Agencies like National University Commission (NUC), Federal Character Commission (FCC), Office of Head of Service of the Federation, Ministry of Budget and National Planning on recruitment procedures was not followed.
- Head of Departments/Units and Deans were not consulted for any of the recruitments as stated in FUOYE Scheme of Service.”
