UNIOSUN governance guided by law, not union preferences — Osun govt
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
The Osun State Government has said the governance of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) is regulated by law and statutory responsibilities, rather than the preferences or interpretations of any staff union.
The government stated this in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, in response to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)’s decision to deploy a team to Osogbo over the extension of the tenure of the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clement Odunayo Adebooye.
Alimi said while Governor Ademola Adeleke respected the right of recognised staff unions to express views on the welfare and administration of the university, ASUU, as a trade union representing academic staff, did not have the authority to determine or substitute its judgment for the statutory responsibilities of the Visitor, Governing Council or Osun State House of Assembly.
The government said the decision on the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure was not taken arbitrarily or outside due process, noting that Adebooye’s current tenure remains valid until January 2027 and that no retroactive decision had been made concerning his tenure.
According to the statement, the decision by Adeleke, in his capacity as Visitor to the university, was followed by the Osun State House of Assembly’s process to amend the Osun State University Establishment Law to provide the statutory framework for the tenure extension.
The government said the amendment was considered and passed by the House of Assembly after legislative consideration of the relevant provisions, adding that it was therefore inaccurate to portray the matter as one in which the Visitor acted in isolation or disregarded the university’s governing framework.
“It is equally important to distinguish between the interpretation of an existing statutory provision and the legislative power to amend that provision. The fact that the earlier version of the establishment law contained a particular provision regarding the tenure of the vice-chancellor does not mean that the Legislature is permanently precluded from reviewing or amending that provision in accordance with the applicable legislative procedure,” the statement said.
The government cautioned against attempts to create what it described as an unnecessary atmosphere of crisis, illegality or institutional instability around an issue that had gone through governmental and legislative processes, stressing that no staff union, including ASUU, had the statutory authority to direct the Visitor or Governing Council on how to exercise powers vested in them by law.
