Who becomes the Provost of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) in Ondo? The alumni and the Academic Staff Union are backing different candidates, leading to a strain in their relationship. LEKE AKEREDOLU (Akure) reports.
The Alumni Association of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo and the academic staff union are engaged in a battle of wits over who becomes the provost. The parties are throwing brickbats over the choice of candidate for the post. The alumni are rooting for an outsider, the chapter of the College of Education Staff Union (COEASU), prefers an insider.
But, they agree that the appointment should be on merit. Findings showed that the alumni are supporting Prof Olukoya Ogen, who they believed topped other candidates interviewed for the job.
Sources said 36 candidates, who initially applied for the post, were pruned to three by the Governing Council. Two of them, it was learnt, are senior members of staff of the college; the third came from outside.
The Acting Provost, Dr. Olufemi Olajuyigbe, is among those shortlisted. The other candidate, Dr Samuel Oyekan is of the School of Education.
Olajuyigbe, a former Dean of Students’ Affairs, was elevated to Deputy Provost before the end of Prof. Idowu Adeyemi’s tenure.
Ogen, according to an agency report, is a professor of History at the Osun State University and a visiting senior research fellow at the Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham.
The seat became vacant on June 1, following the expiration of Adeyemi’s tenure after an eight-year service. Adeyemi, an alumnus, is seen as a “transformer”, during whose tenure the college witnessed significant achievements.
It was learnt that the transformation embarked upon by Adeyemi was unprecedented in the institution’s annal. Under his watch, ACE was listed among the six federal colleges of education to be upgraded to universities in 2010.
Adeyemi, was a professor of Educational Guidance and Counselling at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun State, before his appointment eight years ago.
His achievements inform why stakeholders are keen on who succeeds him.
An advertorial, signed by 19 members of the alumni association, including Mr. Ayo Ademiluwa, Mr. Dipo Olawale, Prince Kassim Afegbua, Mr Wale Ojo-Lanre and Dr. Folashade Famuyide, among others, said Adeyemi’s good work could only be consolidated by appointing the best candidate among those jostling for the post.
The association faulted a statement credited to COEASU that the provost must be appointed from the two candidates from the college.
Last week, COEASU held a congress and released a statement, warning the government of the danger in appointing an outsider to succeed Adeyemi.
According to the statement signed by the Vice-Chairman, Tope Ozigbe and General-Secretary Ade Adepoju, the ongoing process of appointing a provost is being manipulated to favour an outsider. The union, nevertheless, stressed the need to appoint someone who understands the system and could improve it. It emphasised that it would be counter-productive if the government appointed an individual from outside, noting that the college was ripe enough to produce an internal candidate who understands the system, particularly after 50 years of the school’s existence.
The statement reads: “We will resist attempt to impose any candidate, who neither believes in the system, nor has any experience in the teaching and administration of the college of education system.
“We were informed that the ongoing process of appointing a new Provost is being manipulated in favour of a professor and this professor was recommended alongside two of the institution’s Chief Lecturers. However, government must understand that the college needs someone, who understands the system and how to improve it.
“This will be counter-productive if the Federal Government should go ahead to appoint someone from other university as the provost of the college. We also kick against the antics of some faceless mischief makers, who have been going around writing frivolous petitions to discredit the qualified COEASU members.
“The names of those who signed the petition allegedly written by the ACE Alumni Association are fictitious names that are not recognised by the college. How can a group of people, who have never visited the school, be contributing on who will rule the institution? Majority of them do not stay in Nigeria and we do not know what their impacts on the college are. The representative of the institution alumni group is late Bamidele Aturu, a distinguished lawyer and another representative is yet to be chosen.”
The union said members are not bothered by the recent advertorial by the alumni association in some national dailies, accusing the alumni body of going around discrediting some of the qualified Chief Lecturers, who have been selected for the position.
It accused the alumni for showing interested in installing a candidate, who has neither worked in the college nor believed in its system.
Their position, COEASU maintained, is in tandem with best practices all over the world whereby CEOs of academic institutions are sourced from materials within the system.
Such a candidate, the union believed, would have passed through the various stages of developments in the institution and would be able to facilitate growth and development.
But in a swift reaction, the alumni described the purported report and its position as ‘enthronement of mediocrity’.
To them, the statement was by some specific disgruntled members of the group.
The advertorial reads in part: “According to the reports, three of the 36 candidates interviewed came top and were eventually recommended to Abuja. These include a professor, who the sponsors of the reports chose to call an ‘outsider’, the immediate past deputy provost, who is now the acting provost and another candidate, who are Chief Lecturers inthe college.
“That the process that led to the emergence of the recommended candidates has been adjudged to be free, fair, merit-driven and transparent and was carried out with sensitive responsibility to get the best and the most qualified candidate for the office. And the candidate with the best vision for the college, credentials and interview performance came first in the selection exercise.
“That the position of the sponsors of the reports is prejudicial, un-academic, inciting and a clear admission of the weakness of their case and that of their candidates.
“That the professor, who came first and who is being referred to as an outsider, is indeed, an alumnus of the college, a renowned international scholar and consummate administrator. The Adeyemi College Alumni community is exceedingly proud of his feats and academic laurels. He represents and symbolises the interest and aspirations of past, present and future students of ACE.
“That sponsors of the jaundiced report demonstrated abysmal ignorance of the recent history of that college. Since 1986 when the provost-ship nomenclature came into being in the college, the appointment of the so called internal candidates as substantive provost, (DR. P.O Fayemi) and (R.A Adeboyeje) only succeeded in plunging the college into interminable crises. Whereas, the tenures of the so-called outsiders, who were all professors (Adesina, Ipaye and Idowu), brought peace, stability and unparalleled development to the college.”
The leaderships of workers from sister unions- the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCCOEN), have chosen to sit on the fence. The two unions, according to reports, see the issue as sensitive and therefore, surrendered to government’s final decision.
A NASU member, Mr. Akin Oyewole, urged the government to set up a committee to visit the institution and hear the views of the workers on who they want.
“If government appoints a wrong candidate, this may be another disaster for the institution. We know how Adeyemi was before and how it is now. We want someone, who will be accepted generally by workers; someone, who will carry us along, and that is the reason why I am saying government should send in delegates to dialogue with workers on the kind of leader they want,” Oyewole said.
A SSUCCOEN member, who preferred anonymity, said: “Though the government has the final say, but it must put into consideration the kind of Provost ACE members are agitating for. It would be wrong for the government to bring in someone who has no knowledge about the terrain of Adeyemi College of Education.”
Efforts to speak with the college management were stone-walled. A member of the management board, who preferred anonymity, said none of the groups has the power to dictate to the government on who should be considered for the position. He said they are all waiting patiently to welcome any announcement by the government.
“This is a sensitive issue. We can’t discuss this issue here and we have no fact concerning the selection. It is only the Federal Ministry of Education, who can name any of the three remaining candidates. We are only hearing the rumours like other people. We are waiting for the government’s pronouncement and we believe the government will give us the best,” he said.
Meanwhile, a dependable source from the college information unit, said he could not offer further comments on the matter.
“Everything you are hearing from outside are rumours just as we are hearing same here. Issues regarding the appointment of a new provost are beyond this office. If they like, let them fight themselves. Until government announces its choice, we can only keep our fingers crossed,” he told The Nation.
Students are presently on break. Nonetheless, a 200-Level Physics undergraduate, Akinsola Ologunagba, said government would only do the institution a great favour by appointing someone, who will build on the achievements of the his predecessor.
“During Prof. Idowu Adeyemi’s tenure, we saw what he impacted on the college both academically and in terms of infrastructure. So, I believe government must be able to get us someone who will do better than him. We do not want to return to the old days when Adeyemi College was a mere glorified secondary school,” Ologunagba said.
A teacher, who equally craved anonymity, urged government to ignore the two warring groups and pick the new provost purely on merit.
