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Tag: Prof. Bamitale Omole

  • Update:  Protest in OAU continues

    Update:  Protest in OAU continues

    …New VC may not resume

    …FG urged to intervene in crisis

    Workers of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, under the aegis of Non-Academic Staff Union and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, on Thursday continued their protest.

    They organised a protest on Thursday to mark the exit of the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, who will complete his tenure today.

    On Wednesday, they protested non-payment of their allowances and alleged imposition of a  newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of the univesrity, Prof. Ayobami Salami, which they claimed was illegal because of alleged manipulation of the process that produced him.

    The members of the university staff unions had embarked on continuous protest and strike action since June 6.

    They noted that the protest and strike action were to enable the university authorities accede to their demands.

    The protesters, who carried a mock coffin of Omole round the university campus, were singing unprintable songs against the outgoing the former vice chancellor, describing his tenure as “oppressive and corrupt.”

    Putting on white dresses, the protesters said their choice of white attire was to show that they were not mourning but rejoicing the exit of Omole.

    Meanwhile the vice chancellor, Prof. Salami, may not resume office today as scheduled because of the protests.

    The OAU SSANU chairman, Comrade Ademola Oketunde, appealed to President Muhammed Buhari to intervene in the crisis bedeviling the university for peace to reign.

    He implored the federal government to investigate alleged injustice in the university during the tenure of Omole.

    Oketunde said: “We are full of joy that after being in bondage over the past five-year, Omole is going. We have to celebrate his exit and pray no to have a VC like him again. ‎We have lost confidence in both the University management and even the Governing Council.

    “We call on President Muhammed Buhari to intervene by appointing an acting VC. The FG should set up an investigative panel that is not biased and also extend the war against corruption ‎to OAU.”

    He faulted the decision of the university management to shut the institution indefinitely, saying, “Shutting down the university shows that the school management is guilty of our allegations. It shows that they have done a wrong thing.”

    Also, the OAU NASU chairman, Comrade Wole Odewunmi, insisted that the union would not dialogue on matters relating to appointment of the new VC.

    According to him, “The appointment of Salami is not accepted by my union. We want the university authorities to follow due process and not bring in someone through the back doors. The FG should come in right now and appoint an acting VC for OAU in other for peace to reign.”

     

     

  • OAU: ASUU disagrees with SSANU, NASU over new VC

    OAU: ASUU disagrees with SSANU, NASU over new VC

    As some industrial unions, including the non -teaching staff of the Obafemi  Awolowo University are kicking against the appointment of the institution’s new Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ayobami Salami, the university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU) yesterday described the process producing him as free, fair and transparent.

    ‎The ASUU disagreed with Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non Academic Staff Union (NASU.)‎

    At an interactive session at the OAU ASUU’s secretariat, its chairman Dr. Caleb Aborisade, disclosed that there was a signed agreement in 2009 between the Federal Government and the ASUU on the appointment of the universities’ Vice-Chancellors.

    ‎Speaking particularly on OAU, he further disclosed that he appointment of the Vice-Chancellor was advertised and published in major national dailies, where according to him, the selection process was clearly stated.‎

    Aborisade said that the university’s Governing Council and the Senate with the committee set up for the new appointment of the Vice-Chancellor was also stated in accordance with the selection procedure that the contestants must be a professor for at least 10 years.

    ‎He averred that unions’ role in the appointment of new Vice-Chancellor was clear enough, saying that it was discussed by the congress that the current university autonomy does not factor a direct role for ASUU in the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor.‎

    “I don’t know why  Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non Academic Staff Union (NASU)‎ are faulting the process and procedure for the appointment of the new VC,” he wondered.

    Meanwhile, the non-teaching staff of the university, including  SSANU and NASU had kicked against the procedure for the selection and appointment of the new VC.

    The protesters on Tuesday shut the gate of the institution following the announcement of the appointment of the new VC, thereby paralysing academic activities on campus.

    They alleged that the new VC was sponsored to replace the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, to cover his misdeeds in office.

    The workers further alleged that Prof. Omole has mismanaged the university’s funds. ‎

  • Students’ leaders rally support for OAU VC

    Students’ leaders rally support for OAU VC

    Student Leaders’ Alliance of Nigeria (SLAN) has passed a vote of confidence on the outgoing Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof Bamitale Omole. The group, which comprised former students’ union leaders of higher institutions, condemned recent diatribe against the VC, saying people behind the attack knew nothing about administering the university.

    In a statement by SLAN’s international coordinator, Oluwaloseyi Babaeko, the group said

    Omole deserved the commendation for improving the academic standard of the school, adding that the global rating of OAU increased under the leadership of the outgoing VC.

    Babaeko, a Master’s student at the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds in United Kingdom, said: “The call for the arrest and probe of Prof Omole shows desperation for vendetta among the faceless people, who do not like developments brought about by the outgoing VC. Their argument is not only shallow; it is laughable, baseless and lacks merit.”

    “The propaganda against Prof Omole shows that the faceless people have no knowledge of history. Rather, Prof. Bamitale Omole deserves our respect and prayers. The misguided elements want to disparage and destroy the hard-earned reputation of Prof Omole through their parochial agenda. We condemn such act in its entirety.”

    The VC, Babaeko said, runs an open-door policy and makes his personal phone number available to all students.

    “For those of us who have been following and monitoring the activities of the VC, we are pleased to say it anywhere that Prof Omole has done well in administering OAU, despite the time frame. We plead with the VC to forgive those wicked individuals who want to rubbish his name. Prof Omole should act like a father.”

    SLAN also called for improved funding for the university, saying OAU needed resources to maintain its academic standard. The group appealed to the VC to reinstate all suspended students’ leaders.

  • OAU tops web rankings

    The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, is on top of the latest rankings of the best universities in Nigeria and eighth in Africa.

    According to the rankings computed by the Cybermetrics Lab of Spain, the research council that manages the Webometric world rankings of universities, OAU leads the ranking of 125 institutions rated in Nigeria.

    Nine other institutions in the top 10 of the rankings released last Monday are The Federal Polytechnic, Auchi (AUCHI POLY), University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUUNAB), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).

    A release by the Public Relations Officer of institution, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, noted that while the university has maintained its position as the first in Nigeria, it has moved up seven places in Africa in the latest rankings.

    Reacting, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Bamitale Omole, attributed the feat of his administration to the unparalleled research output, administrative acumen, technical know-how of workers and focused leadership.

  • Forum charts way out of insecurity

    Forum charts way out of insecurity

    The Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Bamitale Omole has pleaded with historians to make recommendations on the right institutional and policy strategy to help improve on the state of security in the country.

    Delivering an address at the Conference of the Department of History and the Network of Nigerian Historians on the theme: “Nigeria and Security Challenges,” held at the university’s Conference Centre, Prof. Omole urged historians to dwell less on the obvious facts of security challenges in all parts of the country because, according to him, they are already well presented in the press. He added that they should pay more attention to what the lessons of history can offer in ameliorating the country’s current security problems.

    Continuing, he said that the security problems and the huge resources invested in solving them are, perhaps, some of the most daunting challenges that any state built on the foundations of personal freedom and egalitarianism can ever have.

    He said the conference was in tandem with the long-established traditions of the Department of History since the days of one of the country’s most celebrated icons, Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin (Professor Emeritus of History), to identify, interrogate and confront head on, some of the most topical issues in nation-building in Africa.

    He said: “In fact, the first inaugural lecture that came from the Department and which was delivered by. Prof. Akinjogbin in this hall on November 28, 1977, was entitled: “History and Nation Building.”

    “This testifies the character of such long-established traditions and the tenor of scholarship in our Department of History.

    “The significance of security in nation-building is further underscored by one of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution, in its section 14 sub-section 2, paragraph (b) declares that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government…

    “In other words, that fundamental law of Nigeria makes it imperative for the government to ensure that no other purpose of state should supersede the security of the people. That is why I take liberty to commend the organisers of this conference for attempting to intellectualise the most important purpose of government in Nigeria, security.”

    Scholars, who spoke in turn at the conference organised by the Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in collaboration with the Network of Nigerian Historians, identified the need for social re-engineering, responsible and good governance, updating and total overhauling of the various security apparatus of the country as necessary tools for combating the security challenges which the country is experiencing.

    They also agreed that, in the face of security threat occasioned by violent activities of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, policing and intelligence-gathering mechanism of the state are imperative to effective security operations.

    They recommended the deployment of and effective use of modern technology in the provision of physical security.

    The scholars also advised the government to address other forms of insecurities like food insecurity, environmental insecurity, including flooding and desertification, economic insecurity, socio-religious insecurity among several others.

    Advocating a brain-bank in the country for the articulation of all the various researches and knowledge-production of the country, the conference concluded that henceforth, intellectuals should begin to stand up for the actualisation of their discoveries.

    In the first keynote address entitled “History in Security and Security in History,” Dr. Abiodun Alao from King’s College University of London, provided a comparative appraisal of nationhood and security challenges.

    In his analysis, he traced the root cause of national insecurity in Africa to the European penetration of Africa.

    Also, Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, in his second keynote address entitled: “Nigeria’s Security Challenges in Historical Perspectives,” argued that Nigeria’s security problems are diverse, putting the greater blame on the masses.

    Albert, who identified the inadequacies of historians in addressing the problem, also emphasised the problem of historiography in addressing issues in Nigeria, saying despite the end of colonialism, African people still put the blame on colonialism.

    According to the organisers, the purpose of the conference was to discuss the pressing state of security challenges in Nigeria, noting that the conference was organised to identify the problems and ways to address them.

    The conference attracted scholars from different academic backgrounds both nationally and internationally.