N800m fraud: FG suspends FUNAAB vice-chancellor

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By Femi SHODUNKE

NIGERIA: AT last, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has suspended the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in Ogun State, Professor Olusola Oyewole.

The Minister said that the order for Oyewole to vacate his number one seat at FUNAAB followed his arraignment in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged corruption.

Oyewole alongside with the former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the university, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, and ex-Bursar, Mr. Moses Ilesanmi, first appeared in court on Friday, November 25, 2016 on charges bordering on conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money by false pretence and abuse of office.

GatewayMail, however, observed that the immediate suspension of Oyewole, who returned N2.5 million to EFCC coffer after his first appearance in court, came barely 14 days before the end of his tenure on May 24, 2017.

The Minister told Oyewole in his letter the reason for the suspension thus: “Sequel to your arraignment before an Ogun State High Court on criminal charges, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, 24^th November 2016, I am directed to convey the Honourable Minister’s approval to place you on suspension from Office with immediate effect pending the determination of the court case against you in accordance with extant rules.”

“You are therefore, directed to hand over the affairs of your office to the most senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, in the University,” Adamu said in a letter reference number FME/HE/SU/56A/V/929 dated May 5, 2017 and signed by Dr. Hussaini Adamu, acting Permanent Secretary.

GatewayMail gathered that the vice-chancellor, who wore forlorn look on Thursday after communicating the suspension to him, hurried held a meeting with his deputies after which he handed over to Prof. Ololade Enikuomehin, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development.

“He (Oyewole) wore a downcast look and drove furiously in a convoy of black cars around 11am out of campus, after a short meeting with his deputies,” a competent source at the university told GatewayMail.

The source added: “He had already packed out of the VC lodge since February; not even a pin remaineth.  His last public ceremony was at matric and inaugural lecture held on Wednesday, April 26.”

It would be recalled that senior workers at the universities had expressed their unhappiness over the handling of corruption in the nation’s intellectual ivory towers by the Federal Government.

The grouse of the workers is that the Federal Government was encouraging corruption in the universities for allowing indicted Vice-Chancellors to continue to stay in office.

The workers, through their umbrella body – Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) – added that the government failed to prevent intimidation, harassment and victimization of whistle-blowers who have so far exposed “the rot and decadence” in the nation’s universities.

Their views were contained in the communique issued at their 30^th regular meeting held at the Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State.

The communique at the end of their two-day parley was signed by the National President, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, and National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Salaam Abdussobur.

The members of SSANU said that they wondered why the Vice-Chancellors of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Professor Adebiyi Daramola, and his counterpart at the FUNAAB, Professor Olusola Oyewole, who are facing corruption charges, are allowed to still preside in their universities.

The workers said: “NEC wondered why Vice-Chancellors who are facing criminal prosecutions in competent courts, sit-tight in office as in the cases of the Federal University of Technology, Akure and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, where the Vice-Chancellors of both Universities continue to superintend over the affairs and budgets of the Universities, with the active connivance of their Governing Councils.”

“The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja has convened an illegal meeting of Council outside his power, since he is not a Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council.  NEC concludes that the Federal Government appears to be encouraging the same corruption it proclaims to fight, with the continued stay in office of these Vice-Chancellors, who host convocation ceremonies, hold Council meetings and take actions that put a moral question on the anticorruption stance of the Federal Government.”

The peeved workers also said: “Further, Government appears to be operating double standard, if it could insist on the stepping down of Judges being prosecuted for criminal offences, while Vice-Chancellors are allowed to continue to run amok in Universities.

“NEC further observed that the level of sleaze in our Universities will remain unchecked, if Government does not take firm and decisive steps to nip it in bud. NEC therefore advises the Government to act decisively and concretely on the growing tide of corruption in our Ivory Towers.

“If Government is indeed convinced and determined to stem the tide of corruption in Nigeria, the University system must not be immune from its searchlight. If we are to bequeath our future generations an incorruptible legacy, then our Universities and Institutions of learning must be monitored closely.”

Similarly, stakeholders in the intellectual ivory towers urged the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Adamu Abubakar Rasheed, to beam his searchlight on the level of corruption going on in four universities in the country.

The call came partly from the aggrieved workers in the nation’s universities after their negotiation with Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige, and some representatives of the government over the decision to end their warning strike.

The institutions named by the stakeholders are Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, University of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State and Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State.

The advice to Rasheed was contained in a decision reached at the end of a meeting held between Ngige, Rasheed and the protesting workers.

“The Executive Secretary (ES) of the National Universities Commission (NUC) should intensify his actions against corruption in the following universities:

Obafemi Awolowo Univerisity, Ile-Ife, University of Abuja, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Federal Univerisity of Technology, Akure,” the participants said in Abuja in the agreement signed by five representatives of unions and government to end the five-day warning strike embarked upon by the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and Senior Staff of Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee.

They also pleaded with Rasheed to do all to protect informants and whistleblowers within the university system from intimidation and victimization.

While reacting to GatewayMail, the Head, Directorate of Public Relations, Mrs. Emi’ Alawode, said that a response would be issued soon.  “Response won’t be late,” she said.

Thereafter, in a news release, Alawode said: “The Directorate of Public Relations, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, has been inundated with inquiries on whether the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, has been suspended from office or not.”

“Consultations are in progress with the University Administration on the true position of things, while a formal statement will be issued in due course,” she added in the release dated May 11, 2017 titled “Re: Suspension of FUNAAB VC.”

“Meanwhile, all normal academic and administrative activities are ongoing unabated, in the University,” Alawode further explained.

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