FUNAAB crisis: NUC summons Governing Council, management to Abuja

THE nation’s regulatory body for the university system, the National Universities Commission (NUC), has waded into the crisis that has engulfed the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), in Ogun State.

GatewayMail learnt that the Executive Secretary of the commission, Professor Adamu Abubakar Rasheed, summoned the members of the Governing Council and management of the university to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, on Tuesday.

Despite having resigned his position as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, was also invited to lead the Governing Council while the embattled Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, will head the management delegation to the meeting.

Oyewole and his team, it was gathered, left Monday noon for Abuja to the talks where the issues of the financial misappropriation will be on the table alongside the need to recall the sacked 23 workers, among who are the three whistleblowers who reported Ogunlewe, the Vice-Chancellor and the former Bursar, Mr. Moses Ilesanmi to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged misappropriation of N800 million.

“All the council members were invited to the meeting in Abuja together with management team of the university,” a reliable source at FUNAAB told GatewayMail on Monday.

He added: “The Executive Secretary will discuss with them on how to resolve the impasse, particularly the sacked workers in order to ensure peace on campus.  He would also talk about the misappropriated fund despite the fact that the case is court.

“The VC had visited the NUC couple of weeks ago and it was there that they fixed Tuesday meeting to discuss the issue, particularly how to recall the sacked workers,” the reliable source said.

He also said: “The way things are now there will be no peace in the university if the sacked workers are still outside the campus for no genuine reasons for their sack except witch-hunting by the VC in cohort with his clique.”

The source also said that the Abuja meeting may adopt the resolution strategy employed by the Federal University of Technology, Akure over similar problems that bedeviled the university recently.

When contacted on the development, the Head, Directorate of Public Relations of the university, Mrs. Emi’ Alawode, did not disclose the purpose of the meeting, but said that such meeting was in line with norms.

“It is ordinarily not out of place for members of the University Governing Council to be in Abuja, on official assignment, bordering on their mandate from the Federal Government, pertaining to the smooth running of the University,” Alawode told GatewayMail.

However, effort to get the reaction of the NUC through the Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Ibrahim Usman Yakasai, proved futile as at the time of filing this report.

It would be recalled that crisis engulfed the university after the trio of Mr. A.O. Salaam (Department of College of Biological Science), Mr. O. P. Somoye (Department of Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre), and Mr. F.A Bankole (Directorate of Environmental Management Unit) reported Ogunlewe, Oyewole and Ilesanmi to the EFCC accusing them of misappropriating over N800 million of the university fund.

After investigation, the EFCC barely four weeks ago arraigned Oyewole, alongside Ogunlewe and Ilesanmi in court on 18-count charges of corruption.

The trio appeared before an Ogun State High Court presided over by Justice O.O. Majekodunmi, who ordered that Ogunlewe and Oyewole be remanded at the Oba prison before they were later released after perfecting their bail conditions, and Ilesanmi returned to EFCC’s detention.

The court had adjourned the commencement of trial of the accused persons till December 16, 19 and 20, but Ogunlewe and Oyewole had returned N4 million and N2.5 million respectively while the ex-Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Prof. Felix Kolawole Salako, also refunded N1.4 million.

Three others members of the university council also refunded money totalling N4.5 million, the fund which was confirmed by the EFCC spokesperson.

The commission’s image maker said: “The Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof Olusola Oyewole and four other staff of the University have refunded N6.5million (six million and five hundred thousand naira) to the Ibadan Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”

He added: “Prof Oyewole, other staff and members of the Governing Council allegedly benefited from various allowances which are illegal according to the Salaries and Wages Commission.”

The commission’s image maker explained that Oyewole’s N2.5 million was “from the allowances he allegedly collected to finance his daughter’s wedding.”

Oyewole stated that the EFCC was fully determined to ensure that all those “who benefited from the illegal allowances windfall restitute whatever they have allegedly collected to the coffers of the University.”

© Gateway mail