By Jude Reuben, (Investigative Journalist)
It does appear that when it has become crystal clear that the attempt by Mrs. Folasade Adebayo to damage the reputation of the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, has failed another female staff, a lecturer, identified as Ngozi Chinwe Ole, has launched another war against the VC. Investigations conducted about the recent development on the University has led to this shocking revelation.
A few hours ago, a strongly worded letter, written by Ole, to the chairman of the University Governing Council of FUOYE, Barr. Ndoma Egba (SAN) went viral on the social Media. The letter contains damaging allegations against the VC. This strange development inspired this investigative reporter to beam his searchlight into the University’s unfolding drama. A few days spent gathering information in the University led to this interesting discovery. We bring you the report.
Truth has emerged against the lies being told by Dr. Ngozi Chinwa Ole of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), a female lecturer in the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, who accused the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina of making advances towards her and an allegation of victimization by benching her promotion.
lt has become imperative to set the records straight over the lies and campaign of calumny as well as blackmail being spread on some social media platforms by Dr. Ole about the VC of FUOYE in her letter to the Chairman, Governing Council FUOYE, dated 26th February 2025. Be it noted, that she has deliberately made the letter available in the public domain, thus, this reation.
The true story about Dr. Ngozi Ole is that external examiners who assessed her papers which she recently submitted for promotion to Associate Professor (Reader) sent negative reports, stating in clear terms that she had plagiarized in her publications which she submitted for the said promotion exercise. So, they advised that her application for promotion to Reader be stepped down as she did not meet the requirements.
In addition, the external assessors noted that she did not have the required teaching and administrative experience that could qualify her for the leadership position since she had merely spent five years as a full-time law lecturer in the university system as at the time of her application. Meanwhile, the University regulations required that a lecturer moving to the cadre of a Reader must have spent at least six years in the university system. This development was communicated to Dr. Ole by a letter dated 21st February 2025. To clarify issues on the allegations of plagiarism against her by the assessors, the Governing Council set up a probe panel to investigate the matter of plagiarism. Dr. Ole got wind of this development and replied to the Chairman, Governing Council, FUOYE in a ten-page letter wherein she made baseless and unfounded accusations against the Vice-Chancellor of the university. A few days after, she tendered her resignation to the Vice Chancellor in a letter dated 3rd March 2025. In response to her letter of resignation, the University responded in another letter dated 5th March 2025 notifying her of the management’s refusal to grant her request on the grounds that the university in S 8.8 subsection vi of the Revised Regulations Governing the Conditions of Service of Senior Staff of Federal University Oye-Ekiti ( December 2022) provides that any staff facing disciplinary proceedings shall not tender their resignation nor shall their resignation be accepted until the completion of the disciplinary proceedings. Since the University Governing Council has set up a panel to investigate the case of plagiarism as brought against her by the external assessors to her knowledge, she must be on ground to defend herself before the panel as duly constituted by the Council.
The truth of the matter remains that the Vice-Chancellor did not victimize or make any advances towards Dr. Ngozi Chinwa Ole in any way as claimed by her. They have never even had any private interaction as the only time she met with the VC was in company or her colleagues, both male and female of the law faculty. So, we view this blackmail against the Vice-Chancellor by Dr. Ole as a cheap way to escape the probe panel already set up by the University Council to investigate the claims of plagiarism made against her by the external assessors who assessed the publications she submitted for promotion exercise.
As against her claim and to show that she was never part of the success story of the faculty of law, FUOYE, the following points will be made. She was Head of Department for three years without any tangible contribution to the faculty of law and the university as a whole. As the Head of Department, she was meant to present the students’ results that is, the Master Mark Sheet (MMS) which is the overall results of the students as regards the courses taken in a semester to the Faculty Board of Examiners before sending the said results to the Business Committee of Senate for consideration and approval, it is shocking to note that she never did for the three years of her headship which raises a lot of issues/concerns. As someone who is expected to know the law/claims to know the law, can she be asked why she refused to follow the university’s regulations on presentation of results for three years? Secondly, as Head of Department, she did not organize any program either in her department or the faculty for the said period of three years! Then, what value did she add to the system? Throughout her said three year tenure, she never attended any of the programs organized by the faculty nor took permission for her absence from any of these programs. On the issue of being in charge of the law clinic as claimed by Dr. Ngozi Ole, it will interest the reader to know that she saw the law clinic as an avenue to benefit herself. The grant won, the money claimed from the University as paid by the students for field trip, and all other supports gotten for the law clinic were single handedly spent by her without any report presented to the Faculty Board on how such monies were spent.
She also claimed she chaired the faculty committee for accreditation, it must be pointed out that, the two HOD’s as at the time were saddled with different responsibilities for the success of the accreditation exercise, in fact, all staff of the faculty both academic and non-academic were strongly involved. It must also be stated that, the HODs and the Dean were meant to be on ground with some selected officers of the university to receive the accreditation team on the date of their arrival, it is quite unfortunate that Dr Ole refused to join the university team in receiving the NUC team despite being told and there was no permission sought or granted for her failure to show up. It is, therefore, unheard of and absolutely unethical for Ngozi Ole to claim the glory of the success of the accreditation exercise.
In addition and to corroborate the fact that she has never contributed to the success or development of the university as claimed by her, it is imperative to state that when the NUC gave a directive sometimes ago that the Universities move from BMAS to CCMAS, and gave a specific period of time within which the exercise is to be completed by faculties/universities, it is indeed shocking and sad to note that throughout the period, Dr Ole as Head of Department was never part of the process till the CCMAS for the faculty of law was ready and made available for submission/presentation. So how has she contributed to the faculty or even the university community as claimed by her? Someone with a first-class degree honors (as always paraded by her even in an internal memo drafted) should be seen as a person with great scholarship and who should use such scholarship to benefit the entire system through her intellectual contributions; she has not proved same. So where is that scholarship and administrative experience as claimed by Ngozi Ole? No scholarship was exhibited by her throughout her 3 years as Head of Department.
It must be pointed out further that, the memo written to the governing council which she has now made public is indeed an act of academic indiscipline. The language used against the person of the Vice Chancellor does not only amount to insubordination but an act of gross misconduct which must be condemned by all. Anyone who is to be elevated to the exalted position like, the professorial cadre must be someone who respects and values the system where he or she works. Whatever her grievances are, there are better ways of expressing same by someone who has a mature mind.
The claim that the Vice Chancellor confirmed that two of Dr. Ole’s reports were positive is absolutely untrue. The Vice Chancellor never informed her of any positive report. Another major issue that calls for concern is the fact that Dr. Ngozi Ole mentioned the names of the following as her assessors: Prof. hakeem Ijaiya, Prof. Ibibio Worika and Prof. Dayo Ayoade. This is unheard of and again an act of academic indiscipline and shows a great level of desperation on her side. The assessors are appointed by the Vice Chancellor and the reports are to be sent to him directly by the assessors as such is absolutely confidential. How she knows her assessors is a great question to ask her?
She also claimed that the Vice Chancellor operates a double standard of appointment. It is to be noted that the Vice Chancellor is not operating any double standard as claimed by Ole. There is no appointment done in the university system exclusively by the Vice Chancellor without due process. All appointments pass through the Appointments and Promotion Committee and approved by the University Governing Council.
In the concluding part of her 10-page letter, she asked what her offence is and that whether it is because she dared refused to reciprocate the VC’s acclaimed personal interest in her. The fact which must be clearly noted is that the Vice Chancellor did not have any interest whatsoever in her as claimed and has never made any advances towards her in any way.
Therefore, we urge the general public to disregard the frivolous 10-page letter written to the Chairman, Governing Council FUOYE which she has now made available in the public domain as such is to be seen as an attempt to dent the personality of the Vice Chancellor who has worked assiduously to take FUOYE to an enviable height. Indeed, under the watch of this Vice Chancellor, more than 270 academic staff have been promoted to the professorial cadre in his 4 years of impactful administration. No wonder he was recently honored by the Daily Independent newspaper as the best Vice Chancellor of the year.
