The Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has dismissed an allegation that its Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abayomi Sunday Fasina, earned a double salary.
It said the claim, purportedly made by some sacked lecturers, was not only unfounded but a campaign of calumny against the Vice-Chancellor and amounted to defamation of his character.
It said a series of administrative panels set up by the Ekiti State University (EKSU) and FUOYE, which investigated the matter, exonerated Prof Fasina.
The sacked lecturers – Drs. Akinyemi Gabriel Omonijo, Oniyide Akingbe and Oluwagbemiga Adeyemi – were said to have accused the Vice-Chancellor of collecting double salary as a staff of EKSU while on a sabbatical at FUOYE where he emerged as the best candidate for the institution’s VC-ship race last year.
The institution, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Foluso Ogunmodede and the Special Assistant on Media to the VC, Wole Balogun, said: “Our reaction to the lies above is that Prof. Fasina has never collected double salaries from Ekiti State University (EKSU) and FUOYE.
“No panel of either University has indicted him on this and even the anti-graft agencies, particularly the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), have probed the allegation and found nothing against the VC.
“For the umpteenth time, the truth regarding this matter is that EKSU paid in arrears the salaries it owed Prof. Fasina before he left the university for his new job in FUOYE in 2017.
“It was this salary payment in arrears that some evil people are alleging to be double salaries. Omonijo risks legal hammer from the VC with this careless and untrue lies.”
FUOYE media team also countered Omonijo’s claim that he and others were unjustly sacked.
“The truth is that the three of them had committed gross misconduct against the University Regulations and were accordingly fired in line with strict adherence to the regulations of the institution.
“The disciplinary procedures leading to their various penalties were thorough and transparent and in line with our regulations.
“In fact, all committees (investigative and disciplinary) had ASUU representatives, who fully participated in the processes and duly signed the reports of the committees.
“Relevant and incontrovertible evidence against them are available in the university records for public consumption.
“Truth is that the three lecturers’ nightmare began when they committed gross misconduct against the university. Their misfortune since 2018 is not connected in any way to their union activities.
“It is mainly about their official misdeeds against the University Regulations of which they were duly punished only after proper disciplinary procedures were duly followed and exhausted.
“Such probe had established prima facie evidence against Omonijo of illegally obtaining official documents, including personal files and payslips of university staff members and exposing/publishing such for public consumption, causing unnecessary unrest on campus by blackmailing the university in the media.”
The university denied delaying the implementation of a consent judgment of the National Industrial Court on Omonijo’s case.
“The University Council as a law-abiding organ which comprises people of high integrity from various walks of life will not do anything to compromise the rule of law.
“However, the Council, in its considered opinion, is not asking for too much by demanding that Dr Omonijo should sign an undertaking to be of good conduct as part of the requirements for his full reinstatement.
“This does not in any way violate the terms of the out-of-court settlement for his reinstatement.
“The Council is in possession of informed legal opinions that it is not the intention of the court to override or suspend the laws of the university in the execution of the out-of-court settlement.
“As far as the University Council is concerned, we have duly complied with the court’s directive, but will always ensure that the rules and regulations of the university are protected against any infraction by its members of staff.”
The university added: “Prof. Fasina had thought Omonijo would turn a new leaf. Moreover, some good-spirited people had pleaded on his behalf for the management to temper justice with mercy.
“As a man of his words who is compassionate, the VC opted to embrace settling out-of-court with him.”
The management denied Omonijo’s claim that Prof. Fasina acted on the directives of FUOYE’s former VC Prof. Kayode Soremekun as a sign of his loyalty.
“At no point did Prof. Fasina confess to taking some actions on the directive of the former VC as a precondition to succeed the erstwhile VC, neither did he ever beg Omonijo over all the misfortune that befell him leading to his impeachment as ASUU FUOYE local chair and sack as FUOYE staff,” the media team said.