It was the perfect institution – peaceful and with a calender that ran monthly until things started going wrong. The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has now become a hotbed of crisis. In the last three months, it has been embroiled in an industrial dispute. The university management and council are at war with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) over the sack of 23 workers.
The crisis rocking the Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), Abeokuta, appears to have worsened.
For three months, the 28-year-old institution, once reputed for peace, stability, healthy conservatism, excellent academic culture, research and human capital development, has been embroiled in an intractable internal turmoil brought about by the feud between its management and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU).
And it is like every measure adopted to resolve it, leads the university inexorably further down the path of crisis.
The crisis peaked on November 10, with the sack of 23 members of SSANU by the Governing Council, at a meeting chaired by its Chairman, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, who is reportedly being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Those sacked include Lasun Somoye, Abdusalaam Sobbor and E.A. Bankole, three medical doctors – Dr Ajayi A.O., Dr Olaniran I.O. and Dr O.O. Salami, two health workers – Mr Oyero, a laboratory scientist and Miss K.O. Adeyemi, a medical record officer.
Also, the SSANU executives, led by Rotimi Fasunwon, were relieved of their jobs with the university in what the Registrar, Matthew Ayoola, stated was a re-organisation.
Since then, some key aspects of the university business have remained largely stalled as SSANU members have withdrewn their services to protest the alleged ill-treatment of their colleagues.
Last week, hundreds of SSANU members from universities in the Western Zone, led by the National Vice President, Com. Alfred Jimoh, blocked the access roads to FUNAAB for hours in solidarity with FUNAAB chapter.
They grounded academic and other activities as scores of students, lecturers and others had difficulties moving to or from the university.
The crisis, The Nation learnt, is also affecting the university’s health centre, which is rendering skeletal services as only the Medical Director and two senior nurses are on ground the laboratory scientists and medical record officers have shunned their duty posts.
One of the sacked workers also told The Nation that the Bursary, Computer Unit, Audit Unit, Farms and Registry have been affected by the crisi
However, the Head, FUNAAB Directorate of Public Relations, Mrs Emi Alawode, denied that that the workers were being owed salaries because of SSANU strike.
“It is not true that workers have not been paid or owed two months arrears. Our salary has been delayed due to logistics challenges. Most People have been paid the September Salary, if there are people still owed, they are likely to be casual staff and there is an arrangement to sort that out,” she said.
Efforts have been made by some groups and individuals to quell the crisis. Apart from the national SSANU leadership, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has also condemned the sack and called on the university to recall the workers. So far, there is no indication the management heeding to their calls.
Also, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, who expressed sadness over the turn of events at the university, pledged to intervene when a delegation of SSANU from Western zone visited him over FUNAAB 23.
The Nation also gathered that the Senate Committee on Education invited the SSANU executive led by Fasunwon and the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, for a meeting in Abuja on Monday.
The Head, FUNAAB Directorate of Public Relations, Mrs Emi Alawode, said that Oyewole was in Abuja on Monday but said there was no official briefing that he attended a peace meeting in respect of FUNAAB crisis.
Fasunwon confirmed that the meeting held though the vice chancellor and the council chairman were absent.
“I attended the meeting with the Senate Committee but the VC did not come though he was in Abuja. The governing Council Chairman was also absent. However, we made our presentation to the Committee. They have reconvened a meeting for next Monday to allow the all parties attend,” he said.
Before the sack, allegations of fraud against the vice-chancellor, the Bursar, Mr. Moses Ilesanmi, the Council Chairman, Ogunlewe, and other members of council had been causing tension in the system.
The allegations were not unconnected with the internal politics of succession for the position of the Vice – Chancellor, Olusola Oyewole, whose tenure elapses May 2017.
Some workers alleged that they could not wait to see his tenure end, claiming that Oyewole did not treat them well like his predecessor, Prof. Olufemi Balogun.
Many, who are eyeing the office underground, it was also learnt, are using SSANU to prosecute a proxy war against him in case he has somebody he supports as likely successor.
Oyewole himself has identified “internal politics” and associated intrigues as the triggers of the crisis that has plagued the university under him.
He however expressed the confidence he would be vindicated, having done well to move the institution forward.
Recently, he and Ilesanmi were reportedly quizzed at the Ibadan office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of corruption and breach of public trust against the university management.
The allegations were brought forward by some SSANU members, who also followed it through with a petition to the EFCC which prompted the anti-graft to quiz the Vice – Chancellor and others.
The petitioners claimed that Oyewole and others allegedly defrauded the FUNAAB of N108.2 million. They claimed the VC allegedly collected N23 million in furniture allowance in four years as against the law that allows N5.7 million.
According to SSANU, the law allows for 300 per cent of basic salary once in four years only for officers not residing in government apartment.
They further claimed that the VC had been collecting N5.7 million annually despite residing in a well furnished apartment constructed by the school.
They also claimed that Oyewole allegedly collected another N23 million in housing/rent allowance in defiance of a government circular which prohibited public office holders resident in official quarters from doing so.
However, in a statement, Mrs Alawode, explained that Oyewole and Ilesanmi appeared before the EFCC to make clarifications on issues concerning FUNAAB.
“As public officers as well as responsible and law abiding citizens, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, and the Bursar, Mr. Moses Ilesanmi, have since honoured the invitation by the anti-graft agency to make clarifications on issues bordering on the administration of the university,” Alawode stated.
Nonetheless, Oyewole followed the petition with the suspension of three SSANU members connected with the issue. Their suspension was contained in a letter dated August 22, 2016 and signed by the Registrar, Ayoola.
Those suspended at the time were SSANU National Publicity Secretary, Salaam Sobbor, former SSANU National Deputy President, Emmanuel Bankole and former FUNAAB Public Relations Officer, ‘Lasun Somoye.
Oyewole also accused the three of “meddlesomeness and with confirmatory evidence of participation in some acts prejudicial to the smooth running and governance of the university.”
The Vice – Chancellor relied on FUNAB Act, 1992, No 48 and Section 17(2) in arriving at his suspension order on the trio.
The suspension set – off a chain of reactions that have affected the smooth running of the institution.
Also, the Governing Council dismissed allegations of fraud against its members by SSANU as mere blackmail and falsehood.
SSANU on its part hit back at Oyewole on August 24, 2016 and announced his suspension and that of Ogunlewe and other members of the Governing Council.
The union claimed by the suspension, Oyewole, Ogunlewe and others were therefore restrained from further exercising their respective functions as officials of the university until subsequent notice.
Fasunwon, claimed the Vice-Chancellor erred when he suspended the SSANU members without fair following due process. He said they were neither queried nor made to face any Disciplinary Committee before being sanctioned.
Not done, the SSANU staged series of protests within and outside the university campus, and petitioned President Muhamadu Buhari, to immediately remove Oyewole, Ogunlewe, dissolve the Governing Council and set up a visitation panel for the university.
However, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), FUNAAB chapter, has Oyewole’s back. In August, its members warned SSANU that they would resist any attempt to remove the VC and others by crooked means.
ASUU Chairman, Dr. Adebayo Oni, said: “We will not condone any attempt by anybody or group to remove the Vice – Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, through ‘crooked’ route without recourse to ‘due process’ and ‘extant laws’ of the university. Any aggrieved staff or union should not resort to lawlessness as there are established internal mechanisms and due process for handling complaints as clearly spelt out in FUNAAB’s extant laws.”
But there is a glimmer of hope that the crisis may end soon. One of the sacked SSANU members told The Nation that the National SSANU and NLC leadership are looking forward to having a meeting with the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, over the situation of things in FUNAAB, particularly the fate of FUNAAB 23.
Members of SSANU have resumed on individual basis when the management passed a circular calling people to be at their duty posts.
Consultations are ongoing to ensure a lasting truce between all concerned.
“Dialogue will resolve it. Never say never to resolution when there are problems. We are all praying that everything will be resolved in favour of everybody and that both parties would smile at the end of the day,” Mrs Alawode said.
Courtesy: TheNation
