…as VC counsels against tribal, ethnic sentiments
From Kehinde Adewole
Some leaders of the Civil Society Organisations, (CSOs) have commended the out-going Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Kayode Soremekun and his Management team, for having performed excellently well during his four years and eight months in office.
The activists who belong to the Nigerian students’ constituency, had visited the twin campuses of Oye and Ikole of the school to inspect infrastructural projects.
They said that they embarked on the investigative trip to FUOYE because of the allegations from some quarters that the Soremekun led Management of the school had allegedly performed poorly.
The leaders of the CSOs however said that with what they have seen themselves, the allegations of poor performance remain in the imagination of those making them.
Speaking during a meeting with the Management team, after their inspection of the projects last Wednesday, Mr. Idowu Odebunmi, a spokesman of the group, said: ” Having inspected the infrastructural projects in FUOYE, we want to assure you that yours will be a glorious exit and the whole world will know as we will continue to make references to Prof. Soremekun’s enviable legacies in FUOYE. For some administrators, their tenure are filled with tales of woes of sacking staff members, in your case, you didn’t retrench staff nor owe them instead many staff are being recruited. We really appreciate you for this patriotic and selfless service to Nigeria.
Mr. Igwe Uden Umanta, who is an official in charge of Research and Documention of the organisation, said: “Beyond your admirable performance, it is your simplicity that endeared me to you.
When a leader wants to show you evidence of what he has done it shows that he really has done something. Appreciating you is a conscious decision from a community that we call our own and I have to commend you sir and say that there is no better score than the one that the community has scored you, which is very high.
Of all Federal varsities, to hear that a faculty like Pharmacy has already been accredited in FUOYE, is a thing for great celebration. We all know how hard it could be for Pharmacy to be accredited in a University. For a new school like FUOYE to have recorded tremendous progress in all courses accredited is no mean feat. And we can only salute you sir.
“If the allegation against Prof. Soremekun that he didn’t perform well as VC had passed unchallenged, people would have believed the many lies of his distractors out there. Distinguished Prof, with the stories we have heard and the things we have seen, coupled with your sincerity, simplicity and confidence in a better Project Nigeria, when we meet other VCs we can boldly tell them to go to FUOYE to see how great your performance has been.”.
Ashefon Sunday, an indigene of Ekiti State and a NANS zone leader, who is already contesting for NANS presidency, said: “Of all the six Federal varsities that were first created alongside FUOYE, this University has been the best so far. It is high time for us to start celebrating our own. We admire your humility in spite of tremendous success as VC. We are assuring you on behalf of Ekiti state students sir, everyone that should celebrate you, but rather want to go against you, we will take them on.
This is a Federal university in Oye not Ekiti State university. Ekiti people working here are so many, even more than non-indigenes. That we know very well. We will engage those who oppose you. Prof. Kayode Soremekun is a man of intergrity, and your intergrity will continue to speak for you,” he said
Responding, the VC said: ” l want to thank all of you very much for I have heard a lot today. A lot has been ascribed to me, the sub text is that whatever we have achieved has been through the assistance of other principal officers, DVCs, CSO, Bursar, Acting Registrar, directors and others. It has been a collective responsibility on the part of the Management team. When you say Soremekun that is just the surface dimension and I really appreciate them.
” I want to appreciate you because the civil society is a partner in progress and you are playing your own role. We are the nearest social forces to Nigerian resources and the people are watching. The caveat is that the resources are not coming as they should.
This is why we are battling with many challenges and because of this we don’t really get what we really wanted. One way out is that we have been able to attain students’ population of over 24,000 and this is an exponential growth from what about 7500 that we had in 2016 when I came in and with their fees we were able to work. We have also been able to do many things with funds from tetfund, capital projects and the IGR.
” We use students fees to build many infrastructural projects. We had made even to grow the students base so that we can build up their money to develop projects.We have nine faculties from three, we have two more coming. Basic Medical sciences and Environmental Studies. By December, we would have put in place eleven faculties. Already, we have 63 programmes accredited.
I need your cooperation in the areas of prompt payment of school fees. So that whenever we tell them to pay school fees, you will appeal to them. When they pay, it will be for their good. Currently, we have completed 70 projects in the twin campuses of Oye and Ikole and we have about 11 projects on going, and by the time I will be leaving we would have executed 85 projects in FUOYE.
” There is a Nigerian mentality that is not good for progress which I want us to abhor. It is primordial sentiments of ethincism and tribalism and it is killing us. Nigeria has the largest concentration of black man in the continent and we must think of Africa’s success not only of ours alone,” he advised.
