From Kehinde Adewole
Management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, on Monday chided the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Akure zone for raising false alarm on alleged secret recruitment and promotion of staff in the University, declaring such alarm was not only false, unwarranted but done in bad faith and with a devilish intention to tarnish the school’s image.
ASUU in a statement jointly signed by Zonal Coordinator ASUU, Akure Zone, Prof. Olu Olufayo, Chairperson ASUU, OAU, Dr. Egbeola Egbedokun, Chairperson ASUU – FUTA, Dr. Yinka Awopetu, Chairperson ASUU, EKSU, Dr. Kayode Arogundade, at the weekend had raised the false alarm that FUOYE VC, Prof Kayode Soremekun had since been carrying out promotion and recruitment of staff without due process, but the Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, FUOYE, Mr. Adeyinka Ademuyiwa while reacting to the allegation dismissed Olu Olu and his co-travellers claims as untrue and unnecessary allegations.
His words: “First of all, promotion of staff including members of ASUU in FUOYE is a process that began early in the year and was to be concluded by October this year especially for the academic staff members. But the sudden closure of Universities by Federal Government over the outbreak ot Covid 19 affected it until recently when the government allowed a partial ease of the lockdown leading to skeletal administrative work by senior staff members which government directed to resume then.
” Now tell me, what business will the senior staff members who have resumed been doing in the school? Does ASUU expect them to just come to their offices, chat away or gossip and return?. Already the academic aspect of the promotion process have been concluded since February before the shutdown. What was left is the administrative aspect. Wouldn’t that continue as soon as skeletal work begins in the school?
” This tells you that ASUU Akure as led by Olu Olu are only raising false alarm. You wonder why people who call themselves intellectuals will be rasing such false alarms just because they want to tarnish the image of a man like Prof. Soremekun who has performed creditably well in office.
” But we are not surprised,
because one of these enemies of progress on ASUU spreading this falsehood is Gabriel Omonijo, a former local Chairman of ASUU in FUOYE. Omonijo was recently suspended by FUOYE for a shameful misconduct. Omonijo’s ingnoble leadership style had split ASUU as a union in FUOYE leading the union to have at least five factions with only Omonijo’s unpopular faction opposed to the management.”
Adeyinka also reacted to alleged secret recruitment, saying such does not exist in the University. He added that not only was due process followed in the recruitment excercise but also that the Federal Character Commission had given FUOYE a certificate of clearance on the excercise.
His words: “Everyone who knows how universities operate will testify that recruitment procedures in Federal Universities follow this pattern: Council directs that, vacant positions be advertised, usually in at least 2 national dailies; Applicants’ responses are allowed for 6 weeks within which nothing could be done; Subsequently, harvested applications are scrutinised and shortlisted following approved criteria; interviews are in turn conducted and the most suitable candidate selected.
” In addition, the regulation allows Vice-Chancellors to appoint people in some situations and obtain waivers from relevant authorities. Such appointments are later regularised within a given time-frame. Incidentally, the only grouse of these people is the thinking that the FUOYE management placed advert recently between the last Governing Council whose tenure expired in February 2020 and the new one which was inaugurated in July, 2020.
” To them, that means the adverts were done without Council’s approval, not knowing that the Governing Council, whose tenure expired in February had foreseen the possibility of a lacuna and had therefore directed management to place an advert in that regard. Once Council has given such a directive, all other administrative processes itemised earlier can go ahead, which is what FUOYE Management has done. Please, what is wrong with that?”
Explaining further, he said: ..Furthermore, all our recruitment processes are closely monitored by the Federal Character Commission and we have certificate of compliance with extant rules. So if anyone wants to pick non existing holes in our recruitment operations, which some of those alleging had been beneficiaries in the past, such people can go to Federal Character Commission and ask them why we merit certificate of compliance and teach them how to do their job better. “
