…says mushroom online platform a disgrace to journalism
From Kehinde Adewole
The Management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has lambasted an Ekiti State based online platform, Roundoff news, for being immature, unprofessional and untruthful in a recent report entitled: “FUOYE: Group calls for merit in appointment of new registrar” which alleged that the FUOYE managemrnt was planning to appoint a substantive registrar of the institution without following constitutional provisions.
While the Management is shocked by the many lies being peddled with the report, it also expressed worry at the denigation of the noble profession of journalismn by the writer of the report whose one sided story has exposed him as a brown envelope reporter who writes for money and not to defend the truth and better the lot of our society. This is a flagrant disobedience to the ethics of journalism.
The Management therefore urged respected reporters in the state to be wary of rushing to write reports from just any statement from any faceless group, organisation or individual without getting facts or reactions from the subject of malicious attack by such group, individual or persons.
For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Olatunbosun Odunsanya is not from Ogun State and all relevant documents of his point to this fact. Olatunbosun is not even in any way related to Prof. Soremekun either by state or origin or kinsmanship. This goof on the part of the writer of the ill-fated report is his own misfortune. We urge him to ensure he conducts his investigation thoroughly before rushing to publish next time so he doesn’t continue to run down his media platform by publishing falsehood.
Truth be told, with Odunsanya’s long years of experience and his profile and pedigree as an administrator in the administration of public institutions, has really placed him in vantage position to occupy the post of a Registrar in any public institution be it a University or any other.. Thus, he is eminently qualified to be a substantive registrar of FUOYE as stated in the advertisement for the post in the dailies recently. So, the question of anyone manipulating the system to favour a party never arose.
” Besides, FUOYE under Professor Kayode Soremekun is well known for upholding merit as against mediocrity and this fact has been exemplified in her award of Honorary Doctorate degrees to well deserving Nigerians during her Combined Convocation Ceremony in 2018 where deserving and selfless Nigerians such as a selfless educationist who dedicated over six decades of his life to moulding Nigerian teenagers, Chief Guy Gargiulo, a humanitarian and Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Most Reverend Femi Ajakaiye and an Islamic cleric who single-handedly rescued over 200 Christians from Boko Haram insulgents, Alhaji Abubakar Abrldullahi, emerged awardees and no one can say the institution had sold such awards to these personalities. Even the Federal Government was so pleased with FUOYE’s recognition of the awardees to point of advising other tertiary institutions to emulate our great University by awarding honourary degrees to deserving individuals and not money bags.
As for the question of adhering to the Federal Character principles, FUOYE also has a certificate of clearance for all her preceding appointments and recruitment and this simply shows that the institution has a track record of exemplary adherence to the principle of Federal Character in this regard. If only the writer of the malicious report had not cheapened himself by allowing some little gratification he probably have taken to becloud his mind, he would have done the right thing by getting the reaction from FUOYE management before going to town to publish falsehood,” the statement concluded.
