FUNNAB TECHNOLOGISTS SUPPORT SUSPENSION OF VICE-CHANCELLOR
Omooba Risawe
The National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, Federal University of Agricullture,FUNAAB,Abeokuta on Wednesday said the suspension of the Vice-Chancellor,Prof Olusola Oyewole was constitutional and not contestable.
The association made this known in a communique issued at the end of its meeting, butressing that the suspension order was in line with Chapter 5 Section 5.10 of University staff rules and regulations (both Senior & Junior) which says that any staff facing criminal trial must be interdicted.
‘ If the staff is an ordinary staff, the interdiction order will come from the Vice-Chancellor but if involves principal officers, the interdiction would come from the University governing council and when governing council member(s) are involved the rules was silent on this’,the associationnoted.
The communique issued and signed by Olurinde Joseph(Chairman) and Alamu Olabode(Secretary) emphasised that the suspension order was based on the arraignment of the Vice-Chanceor before an Ogun State Court on criminal charge by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC
It would be recalled that the Vice-Chancellor was suspended by the Honorable minister of Education through a memo dated 5th May, 2017, with ref. no: FME/HE/SU/56A/V/929 and signed by acting permanent secretary of the Ministry, Hussaini Adamu.
The body posited that by constitution the Vice-Chancellor was expected to step aside and hand over immediately to the most Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor pending the determination of the court case against him in accordance with the extant rules.
The association faulted Oyewole to have defied the Minister’s suspension order under the claim that he(Minister) has no right to suspend him,expressing dismay that suspended Vice-Chancellor was seen resuming in office on Monday 15th May, 2017 performing official duties and up till moment still claiming to be the Vice-Chancellor.
‘The Suspension of the VC by the HME is in line with Chapter 5 Section 5.10 of University staff rules and regulations (both Senior & Junior) which says that any staff facing criminal trial must be interdicted’.
The association also recalled that the three whistle blowers who were members of SSANU wrote their petitions against the Pro-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and the University Bursar which led to their subsequent arraignment before Ogun State court.
‘The aftermath of this was the refund of N10 million part of the money alleged to have been misappropriated, by Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe , Professor Olusola Oyewole and some other internal members of the past Governing council to the purse of the University’.
The body further argued that,based on the aforementioned, the Council led by Adeseye Ogulewe and even after his resignation could not interdict the Vice-Chancellor,adding that the remaining Council members were in shambles as O.A Akindele declined the offer of acting Pro-Chancellor on integrity stand.
‘The question now is that who is to interdict, in this kind of scenario? From the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) point of view, the suspension of the VC by the HME was in order’.
‘This is because the suspension letter was written before the inauguration of the new council, the VC is considered to be on suspension before the new council was inaugurated on 9th May, 2017 and so there is no way the Honourable Minister of Education would be alleged to have taken up the responsibility of the new Pro-Chancellor”.
‘In actual fact, suspension is not a punitive measure, it is an administrative procedure to pave way for unbiased investigation into an allegation against the concerned staff/officer, while such staff must compulsorily proceed on suspension and have the right to appeal’.
The association stated that in the last five years of Oyewole, as the Chief Executive of the university, staff were suspended, appeals were made, some returned back to their duty after exonerated after investigation by Staff Disciplinary Committee (SDC) and some were given lesser punishment while others dismissed or got their appointment terminated.
“Professor Olusola Oyewole also has the right to appeal the suspension. NAAT is therefore using this medium to advise the suspended VC to file his appeal to the Honourable Minister of Education because presently there is no immunity for Vice-Chancellors, University autonomy should not be interpreted to mean immunity’.
