For over two years, the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta have been in the news over matters arising on petition to the EFCC on misappropriation of funds by the institution Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole and the chairman of the Governing council, Senator Adeseye Ogunleye, the former Minister of Works.After the petition was sent to EFCC by unknown members of Staff who eventually turned out to be a member of SSANU shows it must have been orchestrated by the association. The duos were invited for questioning with documents and were released without much ado.
The association became more uncomfortable as they were expecting the EFCC and the federal Ministry of Education to remove the Vice Chancellor unceremoniously because of the allegation but this did not happen. Thus, various protests sprang up in the School by the association in order to send a serious warning to the management and to the Government to intervene in the crises rocking the University.
From a reliable source, Prof Olusola Oyewole,a senior pastor at the MFM now founder of Divine Height church, Eleweran in Abeokuta succeed Prof O.O Balogun as Vice Chancellor of the institution. Since assumption of office, his administrative style has not been so enjoyable since he belongs to President Buhari generation of strictness. He doesn’t approve largesse or allow unspent fund to be spent by members of staff. People only go home with their normal monthly salary. While these were going on, the Vice chancellor and the chairman of the council as well as member of the governing council were embarking on trips and enjoying much largesse from the University purse which to SSANU members is unacceptable. Someone needs to help me remind SSANU members when they assumed the role of watchdogs to the institution Vice Chancellor.
Let the truth be told, Institutions top heads enjoy a great number of largesse in office and votes which nobody can do anything about because it is all over the country. That is why SSANU is not ASUU. Everybody within the University system should stay in his or her lane. Monitoring and petition writing I believe is not part of the rules and regulation guiding the conduct of any civil servant, this can only be achieved by giving vital information’s to members of the public who can do that without any sanction. The objective of neutrality in the public/Civil service must be adhered to strictly by any employee.
Also, Prof Oyewole also should know that FUNAAB is not the church he is pastoring. It should be eat and lets other eat. If he is a saint and does not disburse money anyhow, he is not meant to run for such a public office which allows a high level of compromise as far as Nigeria is concerned.
Now that we have been able to identify the grievances of the SSANU members, it is totally wrong for the governing cancel to sack 23 SSANU members who are monitoring their extravagant lives so as to continue enjoying without monitoring. The council should have drawn them closer, give them some bread and let them keep their mouth shut.
Recession is biting harder while the common man and public servant are the worst hit due to the rising cost of goods in the market so this might have formed part of their anger for writing such petition without due process.
On this note, I appeal to the Vice Chancellor, Chairman of the Governing board, members as well as the Ministry of Education to look at a way of resolving the differences as well as restore the 23 sacked workers because of hunger and their family. Things are pretty hard these days. In case the management reconsiders and organise a peace meeting, everybody should be told his or her role so that no one will be going out of his work schedule and be interfering in another person’s style after all, not all the administration can be favourable to us all.
FUNAAB will not scatter!