From Olanike Olawole-Orebe
The Management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), has dismissed as untrue, maliciuos and false, the report by a national daily, The Sun Newspapers, that the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina was arrested by officials of the NSFU on Friday, June 18.
Contrary to a report by one Gabriel Dike, a reporter with the national daily, that Prof. Fasina was arrested, a statement made available to newsmen on Monday evening and co-signed by both the Special Adviser on Media Matters to the VC, Wole Balogun and Folusho Ogunmodede, Chief Information Officer to the VC, which was entitled: “Threats to the Life of the VC of FUOYE… University community”, said the VC was never arrested as was being spread by unprofessional reporter on the social media via a national daily.
The statement reads in part:
The attention of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) , has been drawn to a maliciuos, false and untrue publication by The Sun newspapers where the Reporter, Gabriel Dike, spread lies against the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina.
It is highly disappointing and unknown to proper journalism that a media house like The Sun Publishing Limited, can be engaged in such a false misrepresentation when the Federal Government are trying to make Nigeria safe from uncensored social media.
The Sun cannot at this time be used by unscrupulous elements to malign a federal Institution in the country.
Their unexpected Act was carried out by one Gabriel Dike, who told a blatant lie against the Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina.
The VC was in his office on Thursday, July 17, 2021, carrying out his official duties. He was never arrested by any federal agent. The truth is that Prof. Fasina never collected any double salaries from Institution, not even the Ekiti State University, EKSU , his former place of work, has accused him of collecting double salary. EKSU remains an instituon with which he enjoys a cordial relationship till date
“FUOYE Management wishes to inform the public that there was an attempt to abduct the Vice-Chancellor, on Thursday, June 17, 2021. The suspicious move of some officers, who claimed to have come from the NSFU allegedly to deliver a letter of invitation to the VC and insisted that the delivery must be made in person, gave the red signal.
“The security personnel in the University suspected a foul play when the suspected men failed to provide a written clearance from the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, but instead created an unneccesary drama by making frantic effort to find their way into the VC’s office with an obvious intention to whisk him away from the Campus.
“Eye-witnesses informed the Media office of the VC that the officers wanted to force their way into the VC’s office after allegedly identifying themselves as officers from the NSFU.
“But the smart and professional security men attached to the Central Administration office of the University insisted that the strange men introduce themselves properly and also show incontrovertible evidence of the clearance from the Federal security agencies attached to Ekiti state and the University, which are both the Ekiti State Police Command and the. We have no doubt that these men were on a sinister mission. But they failed woefully.
” The people who came never contacted us nor invited the Vice-Chancellor before they came.
There is no agency of Government that has ever invited us that we did not honour their invitation.
” For example the ICPC, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, and its counterpart in the House of Representatives, have invited us and we honoured all these invitations. So, we do not have any record of evading or not honouring Invitation by government agencies.
” This means that there is no basis for them to have done what they did. The manner in which they approached the matter showed clearly that they had sinister motives and that this could be a hacthet job. The fact that they came to the University without first approaching the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the institution and wanted to force their way into the office of the VC makes the whole move suspicious.
We got to know later that they have been in Ekiti state days before the assault on the office of the VC. All these show that there was an intention to harrass, intimidate, and embarrass the VC and some top officials of the University. Whereas, as at the time of filing this report, the petition they claimed warranted this assault is not known to the VC nor any of the other officials they mentioned.
It was only after the aborted coup that they came the second day with letters of invitation, and a list of documents they wanted the University to supply to their office; but the basis of such request remains unknown up till now.
We want the whole world to know that this strange development has since thrown the whole University community into a serious tension and a state of apprehension.
The concern of many staff and students now is that if the VC could be so assaulted, without prior notice or invitation, who else is safe?
We consider this as a breach of security protocol, and threat to the lives of the VC and the University communtity as a whole.
We know the source of this sinister agenda: It is simply a case of fighting corruption and corruption fighting back.
Only recently, the University Governing Council terminated the appointment of the esthwhile Registrar, Mr. Olatunbosun Odusanya and also suspended the Bursar, Mrs. Bolatito Akande for sundry allegations of corruption. Up till now, the former Registrar has held on to the official vehicle and University’s licensed gun. All attempts to retrieve these University properties from him have so far proved abortive.
The bursar too, is supposed to appear before the Disciplinary Committee of the University Council this week for the determination of her case.
All these attempts to embarrass the VC through a seemingly predetermined arrest plot may not be unconnected to these cases. We know other measures they have taken in the past to frustrate out efforts at sanitising the University. But we refuse to be intimidated.
“In the light of this ugly development, the Management of FUOYE wishes to warn anyone with any criminal intent against the University or any principal officers, to desist from any attempt to cause chaos and/or tension on the campus or disrupt the peace and stability the serene environment of the University has been enjoying.
” We wish to categorically declare that the students, staff and the campus security personnel are alert and would resist any attempt to kidnap anyone on the campus.
” Members of the University community are equally urged to remain alert and be security conscious and also follow strictly, every rule laid down by the University Management to forestall security breach on campus..it added further that: “
