By Justina Nwankwo
On April 24, 2025, a publication authored by one Ashiru Oladipo, titled: “Demand for immediate removal of Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Victor Ndoma Egba (SAN) and Suspension of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Respectively,” began circulating widely across social media platforms. Laden with falsehoods, this publication has caused unnecessary embarrassment to the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) community, her well-wishers, friends, and associates.
It is evident that this publication emerged after a previous attempt by certain actors to mislead the public through unscrupulous online platforms, by falsely claiming that the substantive Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina (currently on leave), had been suspended. Following the complete failure of that misinformation campaign, these same elements have now resorted to fabricating further lies, with the aim of misleading Minister of Education, the wider public, and of sowing discord within the University. Their latest attempts, like the ones before, are doomed to fail.
Setting the Records Straight.
It is therefore, necessary to set the record straight in this rejoinder. Oladipo and his associates have alleged a lack of independence on the part of the Chairman and members of the Governing Council, citing the suspension of two executives of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), FUOYE branch—namely, Mr. Benjamin Faleye and Mr. Ayomikun Aluko. For clarity, these two staff members were justifiably suspended for acts of gross misconduct in clear violation of the University’s regulations. There exists incontrovertible evidences against them, including their sponsorship of false and defamatory media publications intended to damage the reputation of the University.
In addition, these SSANU executives were found to have produced and circulated two conflicting versions of the communiqué from their November 2024 Congress. In one version, which was released to the media, they made spurious allegations of sexual harassment against Prof. Abayomi Fasina. In the other version—submitted to the University authorities—no such allegations were mentioned. This deliberate duplicity reveals their clear intent to mislead and manipulate public perception, a glaring instance of double standards and bad faith.
Furthermore, Mr. Faleye gave several media interviews tarnishing the University’s image with baseless accusations. Following due process, both staff members were queried and subsequently suspended when their responses proved unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, in a magnanimous move aimed at restoring peace, the Governing Council pardoned them on April 14, 2025, with a simple requirement: to issue a formal apology to the University authorities—a condition they are yet to fulfill.
Regarding the unfounded sexual harassment allegations against Prof. Fasina, it is important to note that the University’s Governing Council duly constituted a panel to investigate the matter.
This panel, composed of individuals of proven integrity, found Prof. Fasina innocent based on thorough investigation and previous police findings. Mrs. Folasade Adebayo, in her statement to the police, unequivocally denied being sexually harassed by Prof. Fasina. Moreover, she did not accuse him of harassment in her petition to the University’s Governing Council. In an act of leniency, the Council merely requested an apology from Mrs. Adebayo for illegally recording the Vice-Chancellor without his consent.
The Governing Council, representing all sectors of the University community—including academic, non-teaching staff, and external members from the Presidency—acted collectively, fairly, and with utmost responsibility. The attempt by some discontented individuals to discredit these decisions is baseless and unfounded.
The issue raised on Dr. Akhigbe by Oladipo is another misrepresentation of facts. First, Akhigbe’s issues began with Prof. Fasina’s predecessor. It wasn’t Prof. Fasina’s administration that appealed the case. It was Akhigbe himself who made the appeal contrary to the lies by Oladipo.
It should also be clarified that Prof. Fasina was never part of the selection process of the members of the Committee set up to probe the allegations of sexual harassment nor was he part of the Committee for appointing new Vice-Chancellor of the University.The facts are available for verification.
Oladipo further misrepresents the case of one a former lecturer in the Department of Psychology. Contrary to Oladipo’s claims, the Lecturer was given ample opportunities to defend himself against various misconduct charges but repeatedly ignored formal invitations. Instead, he engaged in damaging campaigns against FUOYE and TETFund. Reports even indicate that he absconded from a doctoral programme at a UK University, despite sponsorship from TETFund. Following due warnings and procedures, the Governing Council rightfully terminated his appointment, and evidence abounds to support this action.
In the case of the Senior Law staff member mentioned by Oladipo, the facts are equally clear.
External assessors—not the University management—discovered acts of plagiarism in her submitted promotion papers. Upon learning that a review committee had been constituted, she hastily tendered a resignation letter accompanied by three months’ salary in lieu of notice. This suspicious action aimed to pre-empt the University’s investigative processes. The Governing Council, in the lawful exercise of its authority, rightfully withheld acceptance of her resignation until the investigative process could be duly concluded. Furthermore, it is important to clarify that she did not formally accuse Prof. Fasina of sexual harassment; rather, she made an unsubstantiated claim of alleged advances, a claim she subsequently, in private conversation with a senior University official, confessed to have fabricated with the intent to malign his reputation.
Oladipo’s assertion that the Governing Council’s exoneration of Prof. Fasina was contradictory is entirely unfounded and deliberately misleading. The Governing Council — a body composed of distinguished representatives from all sectors of the University and external institutions —reached its decision through a meticulous, impartial, and collective evaluation of all available evidence. The Council’s conclusions were not only just and equitable but also demonstrated remarkable leniency towards those who had erred, including Mrs. Adebayo and the suspended SSANU executives. It is critical to note that if Mrs. Adebayo had possessed any credible evidence beyond unlawfully obtained recordings, she would have explicitly levelled a formal allegation against Prof. Fasina either in her petition to the Governing Council or during the independent police investigation. The totality of the evidence firmly establishes that the accusations against Prof. Fasina were baseless, malicious, and orchestrated with the intent to damage his character and disrupt the University’s stability.
Once again, Oladipo deliberately misled the public by claiming that the University authorities engaged in unlawful termination, demotion, and dismissal of staff. This allegation is baseless and wholly unfounded. There is incontrovertible evidence that all disciplinary actions taken against erring staff members were conducted in strict compliance with due process and in accordance with established University regulations. Contrary to Oladipo’s malicious insinuations, the Governing Council has, in fact, recorded remarkable achievements in the fair and timely promotion of staff across all units of the University, with verifiable records readily available for scrutiny. At no time has any staff member been subjected to unfair treatment, as falsely and wickedly alleged by Oladipo.
Furthermore, the University authorities have not violated any aspect of the Public Procurement Act, nor have they been involved in any act of financial mismanagement. Rather, all funds, including the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and allocations received from various sources, have been judiciously and transparently utilized. The enormous infrastructural and developmental strides achieved under the leadership of the Ndoma-Egba-led Governing Council and the administration of Prof. Fasina are a testament to prudent resource management and visionary leadership. These outstanding achievements have been publicly acknowledged by numerous stakeholders, including representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, the former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Mr. Kayode Ojo, and notably, the Executive Secretary of TETFund. During the University’s highly successful 9th Convocation ceremony held between February 17 and February 22, 2025, these stakeholders openly commended the University’s leadership for the unprecedented progress recorded—highlighting, among other feats, the completion of over 156 impressive infrastructural projects within the last four years.
The grand finale of the convocation, held in a newly constructed 1,000-capacity hall funded by TETFund barely six months earlier, witnessed the TETFund representative expressing profound satisfaction with the transparent and effective utilization of the Fund’s resources under the administration of Prof. Fasina and the astute oversight of Mr. Ndoma-Egba’s Governing Council. These indisputable facts completely debunk Oladipo’s fabrications and reaffirm the University’s unwavering commitment to transparency, good governance, and sustainable development.
The University authorities will not hesitate to institute legal proceedings against Mr. Ashiru Oladipo and his collaborators for their campaign of deliberate falsehoods and character assassination, as contained in his libellous and misleading publication. Every instance cited by Oladipo in an attempt to substantiate his false claims consists of deliberately twisted narratives, calculated solely to malign the reputation of the University, its Governing Council members, and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina.
It is therefore imperative that relevant authorities—especially the Honourable Minister of Education—and all well-meaning Nigerians and members of the public disregard the baseless allegations and propaganda peddled by Oladipo and his co-travellers. The University is preparing to pursue appropriate legal action, and those responsible should be ready to face the full weight of the law.
The men and women of integrity who constitute the FUOYE Governing Council will not allow this grave injustice against the image of the great institution to go unpunished. Enough is enough!
Mr. Oladipo is hereby challenged to present himself for questioning before the appropriate authorities and to provide incontrovertible evidence to substantiate his spurious and defamatory claims now circulating widely across social media. Failure to do so will only further expose
the malicious and deceitful nature of his actions.
In view of the detailed clarifications provided above, l want to respectfully submit the following prayers:
1. That Mr. Ashiru Oladipo and his associates, who are operating under the guise of faceless civil society groups to foment trouble and disseminate falsehoods, be immediately summoned by the appropriate authorities for thorough questioning. He must be compelled to present incontrovertible evidence to substantiate the malicious claims and twisted narratives contained in his defamatory publication.
2. That should Mr. Oladipo fail to appear before the authorities or be unable to provide credible evidence to support his baseless allegations, he should be prosecuted accordingly and made to face the full consequences of his actions, which are calculated to destabilize the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and tarnish its hard-earned reputation.
3. That Mr. Ashiru Oladipo, his co-travellers, and any other individuals engaged in the reckless spread of falsehoods on social media—thereby causing unwarranted damage to the image of FUOYE and her principal officers—be restrained by appropriate judicial pronouncement from further engaging in such defamatory and destructive activities against this thriving institution.
Conclusion
The Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has been on an extraordinary trajectory of rapid progress, unprecedented growth, and remarkable development under the leadership of Prof. Abayomi Fasina. These achievements are verifiable by any independent observer and stand as undeniable testament to the transformative impact of the current administration.
Regrettably, certain unprogressive elements, driven by inordinate political ambitions, are making frantic and desperate efforts to destabilize the University. As the next Vice-Chancellorship transition approaches, these individuals are surreptitiously working to create a state of chaos and emergency, with the ulterior motive of seizing control of the University
through illegitimate means. Their ultimate aim is to hijack and exploit the enormous Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) that has been painstakingly built through the ingenuity of Prof.
Fasina’s administration and the strategic oversight of the Governing Council.
Their actions demonstrate that they have no genuine interest in the wellbeing or progress of the University. Instead of pursuing honourable and lawful channels for addressing grievances, they have resorted to abusing the free and uncensored space of social media to maliciously smear the reputation of FUOYE.
Such destructive behaviour must not be allowed to continue unchecked. These individuals must be held accountable and made to face the full consequences of their actions in order to protect the integrity, stability, and future of FUOYE.
