The Nation Newspaper

Tag: OAU

  • Re: Sacked council members petition Buhari over OAU crisis

    SIR: I refer to the story of the above title published in The Nation of Tuesday, July 12.

    I was rudely shocked to read about the violent behaviour of two unions (NASU and SSANU), Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, in the petition written by the Chairman of the unjustly dissolved Governing Council of the university, Prof. Rowland Egba, to President Muhammadu Buhari. Without mincing words, the actions of the unions constitute a serious constitutional infraction that must not be overlooked. It is an offence that should not be ignored so as to deter other persons who may want to do the same in the future. There must be deterrence. These unions must be made to take responsibility for their unlawful actions.

    From the account of Prof. Rowland as reported, it is clear that the Federal Government acted too hastily in dissolving the Governing Council. There is no problem with some unions making allegations about the actions of a Governing Council. But there is a big problem in accepting the accusations as truth and making a grave decision like the dissolution of the Governing Council therefrom. At least there should have been an investigation to establish the veracity or otherwise of the charges. This becomes even important in view of the fact that the unions who made the allegations had even behaved in ways that make their claims questionable. Had the Visitor through the Minister of Education taken its time to investigate the claims, he would not have settled for the embarrassing decision against the Governing Council.

    Certainly, the OAU SSANU and NASU cannot be taken seriously. The university laws on the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor do not even recognise any input from them in the process of appointing a university executive. Why their clangour of disapproval of the emergence of Prof.Ayobami Salami as the Vice-Chancellor of the university sounds more deafening than those of the legitimate actors is beyond me. I agree with Prof. Rowland’s position: There is no doubt that candidates who lost but do not want to come to terms with their loss are the hidden hands pulling the strings of the unions’ puppets.

    President Buhari must reconsider the disbandment of the Governing Council. Apparently there was no due diligence favoured before it was disbanded. There is also in office a substantive Vice-Chancellor that he cannot sack. If he cannot reverse his step as men of justice are wont to do, then the view that his government is hostile to justice and the rule of law is true. In the name of all that is good, I appeal to President Buhari to consider the petition of the dissolved Governing Council and cause an investigation to take place. This should go on while the school is going on with its normal activities. The court case by the unions should go on too. There is a substantive Vice-Chancellor in place; if an objective investigation proves the process that produced him was improper, then the right thing can be done. Justice is never known to be served where the claim of a party to a dispute is upheld as gospel truth.

     

    • Wale Erinfolami,

    Mayfair, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

  • OAU: The lies they told

    Kola Oguntoye’s piece of last Saturday in this paper perches poorly on the wonky rafter of falsity presented as fact. His attempt in the piece entitled, ‘OAU and UNIOSUN – A tale of two visitors’, to project the dissolution of the Prof. Rowland Ndoma Egba-led Governing Council of the Obafemi Awolowo University by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Visitor to the university, as fair and fitting reveals a mind comfortably inured to the false comfort of lies and injustice. In sum, the nondescript writer’s eagerness to pull the wool over the public’s eyes in that piece inspired his inexcusable lack of diligent attention to irrefutable facts as befitting any writer who can confidently call their conscience theirs. Because he swears no fealty to truth and justice, Oguntoye inhabits a satanic universe whose organising principle is this: When the truth is constructive and liberating, skip it.

    Let’s not be delayed by the hollow equivalences Oguntoye draws in his piece between OAU and Osun State University, Osogbo, and their individual Visitors. Rather, come with me to the third paragraph of his piece which contains the execrable distortions of facts concerning the OAU crisis. When his claims are examined on the screen of truth, the hideous untruths that undergird them become exposed. As a member of the claque of unconscionable liars that has emerged since the advent of the OAU impasse, that spinner of falsehood deliberately lied through his teeth thus:

    One, Oguntoye was wrong to claim that the OAU Governing Council arrogated the responsibility of the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board (JCSSB) in the process leading to the appointment of the substantive Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ayobami Salami, on June 6. The position of the JCSSB remains that its duty was never usurped. And this provides a strong rebuttal against the fabrication of people like Oguntoye.

    The falsehood he assertively projected as truth is the invention of the fevered minds of the leaderships of SSANU and NASU which, though do not have any say in the appointment of a VC, have sworn to disparage the process that threw up Prof. Salami. They settled for this abomination because they have caged their hearts with the insupportable belief that the new VC will not pay them the allowances his predecessor, whom he worked with as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), owed them. Two of the five shortlisted candidates who lost the office to Prof. Salami see fertile soil in the quixotic quest of the unions and have since been sowing actively therein, aiding the unions in their violent conduct and criminal projection of the lies about the usurpation of the role of the JCSSB.

    Two, Oguntoye pierced the fine heart of truth with the rusty lance of lie when he bayed that ‘the two unions got an injunction from the court, restraining the Governing Council from taking further actions on the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor, pending the final determination of the suit challenging the act’. Like members of the group of liars he dwells in, he too cannot distinguish between notice of a court case and a restraining order. From the admission of many members of the unions, they had thought the High Court at Osogbo, Osun State, would grant their request for a restraining order against the Governing Council. But they were shell-shocked with a notice for the respondent. From that day on, they took laws into their hands and made the school ungovernable, howling that they abandoned their work so as to help the court enforce an injunction that was given in their circumscribed dream world.

    Incredibly, the dissolution of the Governing Council by the Visitor on June 30 was inspired by that falsity, which neither the Minister of Education nor President Buhari bothered to crosscheck. In the advertorial announcing the dismissal of the Prof. Rowland Council, the president ‘ordered’ that the process for the appointment of a new VC be suspended pending the outcome of the court case. But the reality as at the time that ‘order’ was given is that there was no ongoing process to appoint a new VC. There was already a substantive VC who had assumed duty on June 24. The Presidency through the Federal Character Commission had even issued a certificate of clearance to the university Registrar, authorising him to issue a letter of appointment to the person announced by the Governing Council as the VC. The president’s ‘order’ should have been that the unions should go back to their job and await the outcome of their court case. That is the habit of civilised and rational minds.

    Third, it is strange that Oguntoye in his jeremiad ululated that the petition – canonised tissue of lies – of the two misbehaving unions to the president was ‘treated with fairness and equity to the two parties’. The unions concocted lies and passed them off as truths to the president. And the president without any investigation believed their narrative and did exactly what they wanted – dissolution of the Governing Council. But does it mean if anybody claims that Oguntoye is a thief and he is on that score sent to jail without any proof, he will accept that as definition of fairness? No, he will not. But if it is to other persons, he will rhapsodise it as a perfect exemplar of justice and fairness. That is the operating principle in the universe he and the two OAU unions populate. Wrong is right if they are not the ones affected.

    Regardless of the double and warped morality of the likes of Oguntoye, the fact subsists that President Buhari violated the University Autonomy Law 2003 (as amended), which says the Visitor can only dissolve a Governing Council where it is proven (through an investigation of course) that it is corrupt and incompetent. And he cannot appoint a(n) (acting or substantive) VC; neither can he query nor fire a VC. Unless the court invalidates the process that produces him, Prof. Salami remains the substantive VC of OAU. If President Buhari’s abode is with justice, fairness, and respect for the rule of law, he should reconsider his decision on the Governing Council, not tinker with the appointment of the new VC, and shame the claque of irredeemable dissemblers by working for the peace and progress of the university.

    •Alawode writes from OAU, Ile-Ife.

  • OAU External members Governing Council letter to President

    OAU External members Governing Council letter to President

     

    8th July, 2016

    HIS EXCELLENCY,
    PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI
    PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA,
    COMMANDER IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES,
    VISITOR TO OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE
    OSUN STATE.

    Through:
    The Honourable Minister of Education
    office of the Honourable Minister
    Phase III, Federal Secretariat
    Shehu Shagari Way
    Abuja.

    Through:
    The Executive Secretary
    National Universities Commission
    Maitama
    Abuja.

    Your Excellency Sir,

    IN THE SERVICE OF OUR COUNTRY

    I write on behalf of the “External members” of the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State consisting of the following:

    Professor Rowland Ndoma-Egba Chairman
    Arc Omoyele Daniel Member
    Chief Moses Otazi Member
    Hon. Tijjani Goni M. Guzamala Member
    Barrister S. I. Ameh, SAN Member
    Ms Ann Ebun Haruna Rep of Fed Min of Education

    Mr President, the most important reason for this write-up is, to express our profound gratitude to the government for giving us the privileged opportunity to serve our great country as Council members of one of the top four first generation universities in this country. We feel privileged and greatly favoured when we consider that to select 5 members to join a Council from a population of over 170 million could not have been an easy task. Once more, our profound gratitude.
    Your Excellency, running a university in a manner to achieve set objectives has never been easy anywhere in the world. This is understandably more so in our environment plagued with various challenges including poor financial resources, trades union matters, poor, decayed or decaying infrastructure, inadequate power and water supply, social maladies like cultism, tribalism and unemployment. In spite of all these challenges, the External members of Council working in close harmony with Internal members and Administration have been able since inauguration in February, 2013 to score tangible, verifiable achievements. The opportunities to achieve more have been identified and Council has been working assiduously to achieve them. The achievements of our Council will come as a separate report at the appropriate time. We were however, astonished when we heard over mass media including advertorial in print media that our Council, together with that of the University of Port Harcourt have been dissolved with immediate effect on July, 1, 2016.
    We are not in a position to say why University of Port Harcourt Council was dissolved.

    We are also, unfortunately, unable to say why our Council – Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) was also dissolved since the advertorial did not say so. We feel obliged however, that it is in the interest of our integrity given the high confidence reposed in us by government to adduce the possible reasons for this action and perhaps present our side of the story. Your Excellency, it is an act of wisdom to appreciated that they are two sides to a story. We are left with no other option than this since we were not queried or given the opportunity to defend ourselves before the punishment was meted out. Perhaps as free citizens saddled with such high social responsibility, we deserved more. The second part of this communication is an attempt to explain our own side of events. Our objective is not to challenge government action but to leave a written permanent record of events that probably led to the dissolution of OAU Council.

    The immediate cause of the dissolution of the OAU Governing Council (OAUGC) must be the appointment of the 11th Vice-Chancellor(VC) of OAU. The term of the incumbent was to end on 23, June, 2016.

    DUE PROCESS FOR APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHANCELLOR:
    Your Excellency, the appointment of VCs in any Federal University ought not to be “rocket science” because the Federal Ministry of Education(FME) has produced in conjunction with the National Universities Commission(NUC) a complete, detailed directory on how it should be done! Called “APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHANCELLORS, RECTORS AND PROVOSTS”……..”WE CAN”.

    Using this FME guide, Council set out a due process that will ensure that a VC elect emerges by April,12, 2016. That will allow the VC elect to understudy the incumbent VC for a period of approximately 2 months before taking over. This is again aimed at a seamless and effective transition with good governance. Based on this philosophy, the following time-table evolved:
    1.Dec15-17, 2015: Advertisement of vacancy with clearly spelt out criteria/template for the candidate that befits the status, age and international standing of OAU. This will ensure a transparent, verifiable, just and fair process. * While the template recommended 2 national dailies, we advertised in6 national dailies.

    2.Jan 28, 2016: Special Council meeting to select Chairman of “The search Team” who must be an external member of Council. *Chief Moses Otazi was unanimously elected. Other members of the team as provided by the FME guide: two members of Senate who are not members of Council, one of whom must be a Professor; two members of Congregation who are not members of the Council, one of whom shall be a Professor

    3.Jan 28,2016. Closure of Application for post of VC

    4.Feb 1, 2016. Search team commences activities

    5.March, 7 2016. Search team concludes its activities. * Over 10 universities visited and over 90 Professors head-hunted. No external applicant in spite of search!

    6.March, 8, 2016. Council to consider and short-list applications already submitted by interested candidates. Advert used as template for the short-listing process. Before opening the boxes containing applications, Council debated the criteria and decided on the weighting of each of the criteria.*Curriculum vitae and submission of referees were used for the short listing. Before the scoring began, the cut-off point for short-listing was also agreed upon! * At the end of the short-listing exercise, 6 candidates were short-listed – IN ALPHABETAICAL ORDER AND WITHOUT SCORES IN THE RECOMMENDATION TO THE SELECTION BOARD!

    7. March, 18, 2016. Invitation to short-listed candidates to attend Interaction/Interview with Joint Council and Senate Selection Board.

    8.April, 6, 2016: Selection of Joint Council and Senate Selection Board according to FME guide:
    Pro-Chancellor (Chairman)
    Two members of Council who are not members of Senate (Members)
    Two member of the Senate who are Professors but not members of Search Team (Members)
    National Character Commission (Observers)
    Rep of FME (Observer)

    9.April 7-8, 2016: Formal Interaction between candidates and the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board. *On 7th April, 2016, while waiting to commence the interaction/interview, two unions SSANU and NASU who had been on strike for some “allowances and palliatives” from the outgoing administration, turned their vengeance towards the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board. It would seem at this point, that all efforts were being harnessed to frustrate the Selection Board. It would seem that the strike action was hijacked and further sponsored by some vested interests who did not want the due process to continue. It would also seem that the delay tactics were aimed at enabling SSANU and NASU to get a COURT INJUNCTION to stop the process. On persuasion by administration, we called a meeting of Council at the International Conference Centre to consider the aborted Interaction process at 11.30pm. It is amazing that the SSANU and NASU strikers became severely violent and restive. When I called out to the incumbent VC to call the Police, he said the Police Commissioner REFUSED TO ANSWER! It even became more serious when I asked him to call the SSS and the VC said THE SSS FEARED THAT THE WORKERS COULD BE ARMED AND SO WILL NOT COME!!!! At this point (12.30am), I had to call Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11

    Your Excellency, that the External members are alive to tell this story owes everything to the concern and bravery of the Ooni of Ife. THAT THE SECURITY SERVICES ABANDONED US TO THE WHIMS AND CAPRICES OF AN IRATE, WILD AND VIOLENT WORKERS CANNOT BE ACCEPTABLE. The Council then took the decision on advice to hold future meetings of the Selection board in Abuja. The Administration informed Council that there is a purported injunction and that same was purportedly served on the University restraining Council from continuing with the exercise. To this, I am glad to report that the University has not been served with any injunction until date.

    10.May 31, 2016. Emergency Meeting of Council in Abuja:

    Following the severe violence by SSANU and NASU who ordinarily have no role in the selection of a VC, compounded by the failure of the Security services to protect us, we held our Council meeting in Abuja. This had 3 purposes:

    1.The state of the legal process
    2.The need of the Selection Board to hold the interaction
    3.The need to prevent a vacuum in Ife following the expiration of the term of the incumbent VC on 23/6/16.

    At the end of the Council meeting, the evaluation of the situation showed the following:
    1. After 2 months, there is no documentation to show that there is any court injunction preventing Council from carrying on its legitimate functions.

    2. The Department of Tertiary Education had written dated 18/5/16 with ref FME/HE/CU/3A/T/128; wrote and advised the Council to continue.

    3.The Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN) who is member of Council was of the opinion that legally we had no legal encumbrance restraining Council from its normal activities although the matter could be classified as “Les Pendens”!

    Based on above considerations, Council directed the Joint Selection Board to go on and conduct the interaction with short-listed candidates.

    11. June,6, 2016:
    INTERACTION/INTERVIEW BY JOINT SELECTION BOARD

    Following adequate evidence that all short-listed candidates were duly informed, the interaction was held at the Committee of Vice-Chancellors(CVC) building at 10 am. Three (3) short-listed candidates showed up for the interaction and were duly accredited. Two candidates withdrew from the interview; one for personal health reasons and the other candidate withdrew in protest for the change of interview venue from Ife. The interview followed the template of the FME/NUC guide. The Federal Character Commission and the FME representative were in attendance as observers.

    Modus Operandi: This followed the guideline strictly in a transparent verifiable and fair manner. Each candidate had an IT exercise (same for all) for 5minutes, then made an oral presentation for a minimum of 30 minutes to sell his vision, mission and objectives. Scoring was individual. Candidates then had a final 10-20 minutes interaction. Final scores was by fining the mean of all scores.

    12.June, 6, 2016
    EMERGENCY MEETING OF COUNCIL TO RECEIVE RESULT OF JOINT COUNCIL AND SENATE SELECTION BOARD
    Following conclusion of the interview/interaction of the Joint Council Senate Selection Board, the result of the exercise was presented to the full Council. Council accepted the report which was then adopted for discussion The full Council after consideration of the report, approved that Professor Ayobami Taofeek Salami as the 11th Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University having performed best at the interaction/interview.

    At this Juncture, it is pertinent to draw your attention to the obvious fact that Prof. Ayobami Taofeek Salami after his selection, confirmation by Council, clearance by the Federal Character Commission and subsequent appointment has taken over as the 11th Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University and has been serving in that capacity without any impediments whatsoever since the 24th day of June, 2016.

    13. MATTERS ARISING:
    A. EVENTS OF 7/4/16:
    While performing our legitimate functions as the Governing Council of OAU, we were held hostage by violent NASU and SSANU members. These are people whose “industrial actions are really feared because of their violence which include a prominent use of juju”…Prof Roger Makanjuola (former VC, OAU. Is somebody saying that having faced this ordeal as hostages, and having been abandoned by the Security services, we deserve to be dissolved as a reward? Our witness is His Royal Majesty, the Ooni of Ife who deserves a special national honours for saving our lives.

    B.COURT MATTERS:
    Up to this point of writing, the Council has not sighted a Court order of any form not to talk of an injunction. The Council is therefore not in contempt of any court process. Even if the Council is in contempt, does the court need any external agency to hold its brief?

    CUNIVERSITY AUTONOMY:
    As a Council, we have never been able to understand the real meaning of “University Autonomy”. We find it hard to understand how running the affairs of the University within its Statutes and laws calls for sanctions. Even so, does the Council not deserve a right of fair hearing? How do others learn to perform better?

    D.SSANU, NASU & POST OF VC
    It is unbelievable that strike action by NASU and SSANU is being used to determine who becomes VC. In pidgin English they ask “wetin concern fowl with who chop kola?” It would seem that these are paid mercenaries! What remains frightening to this moment is why the Security services have tolerated the continued disobedience of the law with impunity. They have occupied the Administrative building since April. Although the police asked that we evacuate students, and the University was promptly closed, the Police are still to take action!

    It is however to our chagrin, that until this moment neither SSANU, NASU nor any other union whatsoever within the University, has written a petition to the Council or the joint Committee expressing their grievances with the process of the selection of the 11th Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

    E.CONCLUSION:
    In an article titled “Stigmatizing President Buhari”, Prof Olusola Adeyeye puts it aptly: “The toxicity of half-truths rarely emanates from the profligacy of falsehood but rather from the subtle distortion of truth! Blatant falsehood is intuitively obvious and as such easy to reject. By contrast, when truth is softly bent, it takes great discernment to perceive its toxicity”!

    The Governing Council of OAU stands by its honour and integrity and is willing to appear before anybody to defend itself! In the interest of our country we will act the same way without consideration for whose horse is gored. If this is aimed at securing power through the backdoor for any person, it is most unfortunate at this time of the CHANGE!!!!

    Please see the following annexures
    (a)The Letter of Clearance by the Federal Character Commission

    (b)Letter from Director Tertiary Education had written dated 18/5/16 with ref FME/HE/CU/3A/T/128

    I thank you for your patience, your Excellency

    Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba

    CC.
    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation
    OSGF
    Three Arm Zone
    Abuja.

  • Re-OAU crisis: Sacked council members petition Buhari

    I was rudely shocked to read about the violent behaviour of two unions (NASU and SSANU), Obafemi Awolowo University chapter, in the petition written by the Chairman of the unjustly dissolved Governing Council of the university, Prof. Rowland Egba, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
    According to the news report filed by Onyedi Ojiabor, Abuja, members of those unions were reported to have held the members of the Governing Council hostage and prevented them from holding their lawful meeting on the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor for the university. It was reported that the unions wielded dangerous weapons and threatened to kill their ‘captives’. It took the Ooni of Ife, as indicated in the report, to come to their rescue by 12:30am.
    Actually, I have heard the allegation on a Splash FM radio programme in which the Chairman of OAU SSANU, Mr. Ademola Oketunde, featured. On that programme, he could not debunk the claim of his opponent on the violent behaviour he and Mr. Wole Odewumi, former NASU Chairman, superintended over. But I did not give much attention to it. But now that Prof. has come out before the world to say it and with no denial on the part of unions, I no longer find it difficult to accept it as the truth of what transpired. Indeed, those are unions besotted to the logic of violence as a way of resolving issues.
    Without mincing words, the actions of the unions constitute a serious constitutional infraction that must not be overlooked. By now their leaders ought to have rounded up for questioning by the Nigeria Police Force and processed for prosecution in the court. Under the law of torts, what they did to the Governing Council members amount to false imprisonment and threat. It is an offence that should not be ignored so as to deter other persons who may want to do the same in the future. If they are allowed to go away with that punishable offence, it will be easier for them and others in the nearest future to do worse than that. There must be deterrence. These unions must be made to take responsibility for their unlawful actions.
    This brings me to the heart of the matter that inspired the disgusting  misbehaviour of those unions. From the account of Prof. Rowland as reported, it is clear that the Federal Government acted too hastily in dissolving the Governing Council. There is no problem with some unions making allegations about the actions of a Governing Council. But there is a big problem in accepting the accusations as truth and making a grave decision like the dissolution of the Governing Council therefrom. At least there should have been an investigation to establish the veracity or otherwise of the charges. This becomes even important in view of the fact that the unions who made the allegations had even behaved in ways that make their claims questionable. Had the Visitor through the Minister of Education taken its time to investigate the claims, he would not have settled for the embarrassing decision against the Governing Council.
    Certainly, the OAU SSANU and NASU cannot be taken seriously. The university laws on the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor do not even recognise any input from them in the process of appointing a university executive. Why their clangour of disapproval of the emergence of Prof. Ayobami Salami as the Vice-Chancellor of the university sounds more deafening than those of the legitimate actors is beyond me. I agree with Prof. Rowland’s position: There is no doubt that candidates who lost but do not want to come to terms with their loss are the hidden hands pulling the strings of the unions’ puppets. They are the ones coaching the unions to stick to the flat tale that the Governing Council usurped the duty of the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board (JCSSB) in the process that produced Prof. Salami. But since the contrived narrative of the gelded trainers hit the public, no single member of the JCSSB has come forth to corroborate their account. The JCSSB is not even saying its role was hijacked.
    The Nigerian public must see the unions for what they are: They are mischievous and inveterate liars wasting the time of students and giving the university a bad name. If the unpaid allowances some of the unions’ members secretly reveal is their grouse, let them quit their violent conducts and return to work and negotiate with the school management. If they do not favour dialogue, then nobody can help them in any way.
    President Buhari must reconsider the disbandment of the Governing Council. Apparently there was no due diligence favoured before it was disbanded. There is also in office a substantive Vice-Chancellor that he cannot sack. If he cannot reverse his step as men of justice are wont to do, then the view that his government is hostile to justice and the rule of law is true.
    In the name of all that is good, I appeal to President Buhari to consider the petition of the dissolved Governing Council and cause an investigation to take place. This should go on while the school is going on with its normal activities. The court case by the unions should go on too. There is a substantive Vice-Chancellor in place; if an objective investigation proves the process that produced him was improper, then the right thing can be done. Justice is never known to be served where the claim of a party to a dispute is upheld as gospel truth.
    ‘Wale Erinfolami wrote from Mayfair, Ile-Ife.
  • Students demand reopening of OAU

    Students demand reopening of OAU

    A group of students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to put an end to their stay at home by opening the university for resumption of academic activities.

    The management shut down the university indefinitely last month due to the violent protests by Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU).

    They claimed that the process that produced the new Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ayobami Salami, was faulty.

    Berating NASU and SSANU for the shutdown of the institution, the students said the appointment of a new vice chancellor shouldn’t have disrupted academic activities.

    They expressed dismay that the activities of the unions, which do not have a say in the appointment of the university helmsman, were responsible for the indefinite closure of the school by the management.

    In a statement yesterday in Ibadan, the students enjoined the President to use his good offices to ensure that the right solution that would lead to the immediate reopening of the university is embraced.

  • OAU crisis: Sacked council members petition Buhari

    External members of the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over the dissolution of the varsity Council.
    Pro- Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the university, Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba, signed the letter on behalf of four others including Arc Omoyele Daniel, Chief Moses Otazi, Hon. Tajjani Goni Guzamala and Barrister S.I. Ameh (SAN).
    The name of the representative of the Federal Ministry of Education in the council, Ms Ann Ebun Haruna, was also listed.
    Entitled “In the service of our country” the letter was dated 8th July, 2016 and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.
    The OAU Governing Council inaugurated in February 2013 still has about two years to serve before it was terminated “with immediate effect” by the fiat of the Federal Ministry of Education on July 1, 2016.
    The Pro-Chancellor said that they were astonished to hear over the mass media including advertorial that their Council together with that of the University of Port Harcourt had been dissolved “with immediate effect” on July 1, 2016.
    He noted that they were unfortunately unable to say why the OAU Council was dissolved since the advertorial did not say so.
    The Council members, he said, felt obliged that it is in the interest of their integrity given the high confidence reposed in them by government to adduce the possible reasons for the dissolution of the Council.
    On why the Council was dissolved, he noted that they should perhaps present their own side of the story since there are always two sides to a story.
    Ndoma-Egba said, “We are left with no other option than this since we were not queried or given the opportunity to defend ourselves before the punishment was meted out. Perhaps as free citizens saddled with such high social responsibility, we deserved more. Our objective is not to challenge government action but to leave a written permanent record of events that probably led to the dissolution of OAU Council.”
    The Pro-Chancellor noted that the immediate cause of the dissolution of the OAU Governing must be the appointment of the 11th Vice Chancellor of the university.
    He said that the term of office of the incumbent Vice Chancellor, Pro. Bamidele Omole, was to end on 23, June 2016.
    He added that the appointment of VCs in any federal university ought not to be “rocket science” because the Federal Ministry of Education produced in conjunction with the National Universities Commission “a complete, detailed directory on how it should be done.”
    The Pro-Chancellor said that using the FME guide, Council set out a due process that will ensure that a VC elect emerged by April 12, 2016 to allow the VC elect to understudy the incumbent VC for a period of approximately two months before taking over.
    He outlined the steps the Council took to ensure that a VC elect emerged seamlessly including December 15-17, 2015, advertisement of vacancy with clearly spelt out criteria/ template for candidates that befits the status, age and international standing of OAU.
    On January 28, 2016, he said that special Council meeting to select chairman of “The search team” who must be an external member of Council, was held where Chief Moses Otazi was unanimously selected; January 28, 2016 closure of application for VC; February 1, 2016 search team commended activities, March 7, 2016, search team concluded its activities after visiting over ten universities and over 90 professor head-hunted.
    He said that there was no external applicant in spite of search.
    The Pro-Chancellor said that on March 8, 2016, Council met to consider and short-list applications already submitted by interested candidates using advert template for the short-listing process.
    He noted that before opening the boxes containing applications, Council debated the criteria and decided on the weighing of each of the criteria while before the scoring began, the cut-off point for short-listing was also agreed upon.
    He said that at the end of the short-listing exercise, six candidates were short-listed, in “alphabetical order and without scores in the recommendation of the selection board.”
    He added, “On 7th April, 2016, while waiting to commence the interaction/interview, two unions SSANU and NASU who had been on strike for some ‘allowances and palliatives’ from the outgoing administration, turned their vengeance towards the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board.
    “It would seem at this point that all efforts were being harnessed to frustrate the Selection Board. It would seem that the strike action was hijacked and further sponsored by some vested interests who did not want the due process to continue. It would also seem that the delay tactics were aimed at enabling SSANU and NASU to get a court injunction to stop the process.”
    The Pro-Chancellor noted that on persuasion by the varsity administration, a meeting of Council was summoned at the varsity International Conference Centre to consider the aborted interaction process at 11.30pm.
    How Ooni of Ife rescued Council members from danger
    He said, “It is amazing that the SSANU and NASU strikers became severely violent and restive. When I called out to the incumbent VC to call the Police, he said the Police Commissioner refused to answer. It even became more serious when I asked him to call State Security Service and the VC said the SSS feared that the workers could be armed and so will not come. At this point (12.30am), I had to call Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11.”
    According to him, “That the External (Council) members are alive to tell this story owes everything to the concern and bravery of the Ooni of Ife. That the security services abandoned us to the whims and caprices of the irate, wild and violent workers cannot be acceptable.”
    Following the incident, he said that Council decided on advice to hold future meetings of the Selection Board in Abuja for security reasons.
    Ndoma-Egba asked, “Is somebody saying that having faced this ordeal as hostages, and having been abandoned by the security services, we deserve to be dissolved as a reward. Our witness is His Royal Majesty the Ooni of Ife who deserves a special national honours for saving our lives. We have not been communicated, there was no invitation. We were dismissed just like that through radio, television and advertorial. Is it true that there are people above the law? Who is it that just sat down and say just dismiss them.”
    He noted that probably the candidates who felt that they would not emerge successful and some others who were not short-listed may have engineered the action against the Selection Board.
    The Pro-Chancellor said that a new VC appointed by the Council had already been recognised because the law says “Council shall appoint.”
    He regretted that “They are now going to appoint another person to cause mayhem and possible blood shed.”
    “There is no provision for acting VC, there is no provision for interim VC. Why should you dissolve the Council when the conditions for dissolving the Council are laid down either for corruption, mismanagement or incompetence. If we were dissolved for any of the above, we should be told.”
    He also said that if the Council was in contempt of any court, the court has the resources to sanction them.
    Ndoma-Egba attached a letter dated 18th May, 2016 by the Federal Ministry of Education which asked the Council to ensure due process in the appointment of a new VC for OAU.
    He also attached another letter by the Federal Character Commission dated 20th June, 2016 which gave the Council certificate of compliance as an authority to issue letter of appointment to Professor Ayobami Taofeek Salami, as substantive VC of the OAU.

  • Buhari: One more step on OAU

    SIR: Obafemi Awolowo University is a university with enormous problems; from unstable academic calendar to poor students’ welfare to bad administration; all is just not well with OAU. From 2014 till date, the university has gone on strike four times. First was due to the 300% increment in school fees, next was the NASU strike, then the struggle for good welfare and now; the protest against the appointment of a new vice-chancellor.

    The latest crisis generated by the appointment of a new vice-chancellor is very unfortunate. Over 30,000 students who are in pursuit of their future aspirations are being delayed because of some pseudo revolutionaries contesting to be vice-chancellor. Meanwhile, the recent dissolution of the university’s governing council by President Buhari is a welcome development. I commend the President for that. Anyone who feels that the President has no right to write off the appointment of Prof. Ayo Salami and dissolve the governing council should go to the court.

    However, I urge the President to quickly appoint an acting vice-chancellor so that the university can be opened so that the students, for whose purpose the varsity was established, can go back to school. This is very important because students have now spent three months at home for a holiday that should originally last for three weeks.

     

      • JamiuIdowuEsho

    Obafemi AwolowoUniversity, Ile-Ife.

  • OAU crisis: Stakeholders kick against call for acting VC

    Some stakeholders have faulted the call by the Prof. Peter Akinola-led Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for the appointment of an acting vice chancellor for the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Ogun State.

    They dismissed the call as tactless and at variance with the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, otherwise called the Universities Autonomy Act No. 1, 2007 and the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2012.

    In a statement, titled: “A campaign of lies in OAU” yesterday in Osogbo, the stakeholders said the Act did not empower President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint an acting vice chancellor in any institution, much less when a substantive chancellor is in office.

    “It is laughable and ridiculous to read the prof asking the Visitor to deliberately violate the law and undo the result of ASUU’s many years of strenuous campaign for university autonomy in the name of finding solution to a matter that is simple.”

    They said the last congress of ASUU on June 30 only demanded for an investigative panel to examine the process that produced Prof. Ayobami Salami as vice chancellor.

    By his call, the stakeholders said “Akinola is only acting out a self-serving script to misinform the public”.

    They called on ASUU, NASU and SSANU to await the outcome of their suit against the appointment of Salami, instead of disrupting peace on the campus.

    The stakeholders said the purported dissolution of the Governing Council by the Federal Government was a misguided move that has no legal backing.

    “The action of the Visitor in OAU is wrong and he cannot remove a substantive vice-chancellor’’, the stakeholders continued.

    “If the Visitor has not taken the claims of these lost groups as truth, let him set up a panel to investigate the Governing Council and the process that led to the emergence of Prof. Salami as substantive vice-chancellor, who the Federal Character Commission under the Presidency, has given a letter of appointment through the OAU Registrar on Tuesday, June 21, 2016. That is the way of decent and civilised people.”

  • Campaign of lies in OAU

    Campaign of lies in OAU

    One recurring decimal in the ongoing crisis at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, is the carefully packaged misinformation that the leaderships of the Non-Academic Staff of University (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), OAU subdivision, is assaulting and insulting the university community and the Nigerian public with. Erroneously thinking that their persistence with untruth will be taken as unassailable fact, the unions and their backers continue to foul the public space with disinformation.

    The latest episode in that drama is the one staged at Osogbo on Monday by Prof. Akinola Adegbola Peter of the Department of Mathematics of OAU. At that totally gratuitous press conference, Prof. Adegbola claimed that lecturers in the university want the Visitor, President Muhammadu Buhari, to appoint an Acting Vice-Chancellor for the university. This don certainly has not, or has wrongly, read the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions)(Amendment) Act 2003, otherwise called the Universities Autonomy Act No. 1, 2007 and the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2012. Had he read and understood those instruments, it would have been clear to him that the Visitor cannot appoint an Acting Vice-Chancellor at any time, much less when a substantive one is in place.

    It is laughable and ridiculous to read the Professor asking the Visitor to deliberately violate the law and undo the result of ASUU’s many years of strenuous campaign for university autonomy in the name of finding solution to a matter that is very simple. To be sure, the members of OAU ASUU are united in their position that only their congress can take decisions on any issue. Whatever is done outside of this organ is entirely the action of the individuals concerned and not ASUU’s.

    In that connection, Prof. Adegbola’s statement is not only self-serving but irrefutably anti-ASUU. His action negates the united position of ASUU.

    For the avoidance of any dubitation, the position of the OAU ASUU Congress is that the Visitor should constitute an investigative panel to examine the process that produced Prof. Ayobami Salami as the Vice-Chancellor. The resolution of the Congress of Thursday June 30 shows clearly that ASUU’s Congress did not ask for an Acting Vice-Chancellor, for that would amount to destroying its own gains. And this conforms with the view of many lecturers on why the dissolution of the Governing Council by the Visitor is unlawful and indecent given that there is no investigation that reveals that that body is corrupt and abused its powers in the process that produced Prof. Salami as incorrectly whooped by SSANU and NASU chairmen.

    The point must be noted that SSANU’s and NASU’s grouse remains unpaid allowances which they claim Prof. Omole’s administration did not pay them. Their unfounded paranoia is that Prof. Salami will treat them in the same manner like his predecessor. It is the reason they are disparaging the process that produced the current Vice-Chancellor, disguising their confused strike (actually they fool themselves that it is civil disobedience) as against the process that produced Prof. Salami and not about money. The sensible argument remains that if your grouse is against the process and not unpaid allowances and you have taken it to court, why not wait for the outcome of the case? Why the continual disturbance of the peace of the university? Why cause violence? Why result to self-help?

     

    In all, the call by Prof. Adegbola and his NASU group  and SSANU is one informed by the urge to mislead the public and gain undue credit. The action of the Visitor in OAU is wrong and he cannot remove a substantive Vice-Chancellor. If the Visitor has not taken the claims of these groups as truth, let him set up a panel to investigate the Governing Council and the process that led to the emergence of Prof. Salami as the substantive Vice-Chancellor who the Federal Character Commission under the Presidency has given a letter of appointment through the OAU registrar on Tuesday June 21, 2016. That is the way of decent and civilised people.

     

    Dr. Okowa is resident in Ile-Ife.

  • FG dissolution of OAU council: Legalities

    What has been trending in the last few days has been the powers of the Federal Government to dissolve the OAU Governing Council and stop the appointment of Prof Salami.

    My phone has been besieged with calls from quarters, at some point I really did not know what to say since I am not a law student, but I have become a law “Student” in the matter of hours.

    However, all I will do is to ask logical questions, and readers can draw logical Conclusions.

    One thing I am beginning to get confident about is that President Buhari may not or will not rescind this decision on Dissolution, even if he were to be wrong, although I would not say the decision was wrong or right, but I have spoken with personalities who have different interests, definitely they are from the two sides of the coin, but there are arguments even while some have been filled with emotions, I have just learned and concluded that the allegations of illegality surrounding this issue cannot be fought on the pages of the paper.

    The Presidency recently had to rescind decisions bordering on sacking 13 Vice Chancellors of the Federal Universities established under Good luck Jonathan, we don’t expect same Government to come out to rescind this again, it will definitely paint the Government as not knowing what she is doing.

    I am not a fan of emotionality in analyzing issues, but before I delve into the legal perspective of this issue, I believe that whoever has a claim should use the power of the law and file a petition at a competent Court of Law.

    I spoke with a Public analyst and a major stakeholder in Osun State who was a guest on Splash FM and we cross fertilized opinions, he strongly opines that the action of the Federal government is illegal and should be reversed.

    I had the opportunity of seeking the legal opinion of Barrister S.T.A Raji, although he did not give me a position, but he said, filing a case in court will be best not talking on pages of paper, he did not form my position, but I have always believed the issues that border on legality should be tackled on Court of Law to save the space of unnecessary tension.

    I have sampled the opinions of the University management at the moment and it seems they have no issue with the dissolution of Council, just yesterday 4th of July, some persons came out as ASUU members to ask for an Acting Vice Chancellor.

    Looking at all issues surrounding this dissolution, one would have to take a look at the law that has caused controversy, I have studied Section 2A of Universities’ autonomy law and the bone of contention is the fact that Federal Government never set up an investigative panel before announcing dissolution.

    True, I subscribe to an investigative panel, but we cannot completely rule out the fact that the dissolution may have bordered on incompetency.

    Remember very well that the University Public Relations Officer Olanrewaju Abiodun said: “The FG dissolved the Governing Council to ensure normalcy on campus,” what we should if we feel the dissolution is illegal is to call on the Federal Government to tell the public why the Council was dissolved, it has been clearly stated that the Visitor can dissolve the Governing Council, commentators have claimed that the FG did not set up an investigative panel, that was not in the amended act, according to Section 2A.

    However, the same constitution has said: “The Governing Council is empowered to remove a Vice Chancellor,” the Presidency or Visitor was not empowered, that’s the fact, but there has been complications from the onset.

    What do we say about the Counsel of Obafemi Awolowo University saying there was no appointment made at all, he claimed this in a court of law and said it twice, that would mean in the Face of Law, there was no VC appointed but there was a Vice Chancellor in the real sense after all processes were said to have been completed.

    One may want to assume that the Presidency was acting based on what the Counsel, Anu Ogunro said that “Prof Salami was not appointed VC,” it took the NASU and SSANU counsel provision of the Guardian Newspaper that was documented before the Counsel began to agree that a VC was chosen.

    It  was stressed indirectly on June 17 at a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo that no case of Contempt can come up because there was no appointment, that could have been a mistake but the mistake would have a huge role to play on the long run.

    Issues bordering on illegality or legality should be based on the law.

    I do subscribe that the Presidency needs to state a reason for the dissolution, you cannot dissolve a Council without telling why, it only leaves agitations here and there. People need to know which basis was used, whether based on lack of Competence which many are suggesting or Corruption which none can affirm, let’s remember that we are toiling with future of Students in OAU.

    On issues bordering on the decision to ask Prof Salami to Set aside, I have heard people saying it was to ensure that Court process is not bastardized as there was the case in Court even before the University completed the process of appointing a New VC, Barrister S.T.A Raji argues that once a matter is in Court all issues on the matter should be suspended till the Court processes are over, Mr Ademola a Public Analyst however disagrees completely.

    Even if there would be an Acting VC, the Presidency cannot appoint such, only a reconstituted Governing Council can and the tenure of Such person should not last for more than 6months.

    The government should know that it ought to have actually constituted a Governing Council soon after the Dissolution of one, but one would be forced to imagine that the FG is waiting for another one year before constituting a Governing Council for OAU.

    One needs to question the operations of the FG, why did they give Certificate showing Confidence in the process that brought in Prof Salami if issues like this Would come up? Is it incompetency of the Ministry of Education or hurried process?

    In the paradox of it all, the emotional attachment of the issue has given several interpretations to it, but there are issues beyond Law and Legality left unattended to that may be the real decider of the case here.

    Olanrewaju Oyedeji writes from OAU, Ile-Ife

    President, Association of Campus Journalists OAU

    olanrewajusamuel8@gmail.com
      +2348164847752