FUNAAB: Uproar as Akindele resigns as acting Governing Council Chairman

…Sanctions coming on whistleblowers, others

PEACE seems not yet in sight at the troubled Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in Ogun State following the resignation of the acting Chairman of the Governing Council, Chief Olukayode Akindele, and the plan to punish the three whistleblowers and some sacked workers of the university.

The GatewayMail learnt that the Council meeting on Thursday was turned into uproar following sharp

disagreements among the members, particularly academic staff, who are loyal to the embattled Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, and allegedly acting the script of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), who insisted on punishment for the sacked workers, despite the plan to recall all of them.

But, sources said that the sacked workers, who are members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), are planning to kick against the move to recall them with “stringent” conditions attached.

At the controversial Council meeting, Akindele, who was a consensus candidate picked in Abuja to step into the Chairmanship position after the resignation of Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, who is facing corruption charges, stepped aside following sharp disagreements over measures to be taken to douse tension in the university.

Some Council members, who are allegedly pro-Oyewole, agreed to kick against the acting Chairman and pushed for the representative of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry in the Council, Mrs. Susan Oludiya, to replace Akindele.

“Akindele was not forced to resign, but he had to do it so as to avoid being shoved aside.  He saw the handwriting on the wall and quickly stepped aside,” a source at the meeting told GatewayMail, adding: “He was not appointed by the Ministry; he was a consensus candidate at Abuja, endorsed by the Council members with the support of the NUC Executive Secretary and the Minister.”

It was further gathered that when the Council Committee tabled its report for deliberations at the meeting, presided over by Oludiya, the ASUU team insisted that the sacked workers should be recalled, but with certain stringent conditions to their recall letters.

The conditions for the workers, who are likely to get their letters on Friday, a reliable source said, shall include warning, denial of increment in salary, promotion and confirmation, with some of them being barred from holding certain positions of authority throughout their period in the university.

“To the council members, the workers have erred, particularly the SSANU executives and specifically the three whistleblowers who exposed the alleged corruption and they cannot go unpunished one way or the other,” the source stressed.

The source added: “The sacked staff, no doubt, would be recalled; letters to be issued tomorrow morning though they are ready now, but there are conditions attached to the recall letters.”

But a SSANU executive member warned that the new punitive measure may likely lead to another round of crisis in the university as “what the union is asking for is unconditional recall.”

He said: “That decision is unfortunate. Why?  Up till now, we have not been given fair hearing, no opportunity to be fully heard and the Governing Council wants to issue letters of warning, in clear violation of number one of the Terms of Reference of the committee which was to receive appeals from staff whose appointments were terminated.”

“We are not surprised that Council is towing that path.  It’s made up of the same set of people who served with Ogunlewe, some of whom benefitted from the illegal payments.  They are just vindictive.”

“If this goes unchallenged, it’s a big dent on the government’s anti-corruption crusade.  It’s ironic that while whistleblowers are henceforth to benefit from recovered loots and also get government protection, the whistleblowers in FUNAAB are being victimised,” the official maintained.

He added: “We have reported to our national body and awaiting its directive as only unconditional recall for all is the condition that national had demanded.”

“We await the issuance of the letters of recall before taking the next step,” the SSANU executive further said.

However, another source confided in our correspondent that conditions were not attached to the letters said to be ready by Thursday evening in the office of the Acting Registrar, Mr. Obafemi Oginni.

Efforts to get Akindele and the chapter Chairman of ASUU, Dr. Adebayo Olusoji Oni, failed as they refused to pick their calls and shunned text messages sent to them, even on their whatsapps.

When contacted, the Chairman of the Council Committee, Prof. Femi Otubanjo, declined comments, saying that only the management of the university could speak on any issue relating to the sacked workers.

“We have six weeks to do our job we are ending in January, we have not started; we didn’t submit any report today; we just have our introductory meeting this week and we have six weeks to complete our assignment which will not be till the end of January,” Otubanjo said.

When asked whether the committee submitted report to the Governing Council on Thursday, Otubanjo declared: “Please, please you have to call the university management, you can’t be asking me that, I am not part of management, please, call them; alright!”

When further probe, the Committee Chairman stressed: “You cannot confirm anything from me; I have no authority to speak on behalf of the university, okay!  You have to talk to the Registrar or the Vice-Chancellor.”

A visibly angry Otubanjo also said: “I cannot talk to you about anything… because I am not an official there okay; you cannot confirm from me, please I don’t want to have to cut my phone, I cannot tell you anything about FUNNAB, ask the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, those are the people authorized to speak.

But contrary to Otubanjo’s claim, Oginni, in a memo dated December 15, 2016, announcing the committee, said that the committee which has nine terms of reference, is expected to submit its report by Thursday, December 22, 2016 to the Governing Council.

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