FUOYE workers demand VC’s removal after petition row

By Boye Oyeyemi –

Workers of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, under the umbrella of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), on Monday staged a peaceful protest demanding the removal of the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina.

The workers accused the VC of victimising staff and ordering the arrest of union leaders, including a nursing mother, who were invited by the police over a petition allegedly written by the university’s Chief Security Officer on his instruction.

Speaking during the protest, the Chairman of SSANU, Comrade Azeez Aguda, alleged that the detained union leaders were subjected to inhumane treatment while in police custody.

According to him, half of the union leaders were detained in the cell by the police, including the nursing mother.

He accused the vice-chancellor of consistently persecuting staff members who disagreed with his leadership style.

Reacting, the Special Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor on Media, Dr Wole Balogun, dismissed the allegations as baseless.

According to him, the union leaders were invited by the police based on their unruly behaviour during a meeting called by the Chairman of the Governing Council during the resumption of the VC, adding that the police detained them due to their unruly behaviour at the station.

He said Fasina is not a politician and has been too engaged and has no time for political drama.