By Wole Balogun
The recent outing in Abuja that featured the arbitration by the Nigerian Senate’s Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by the distinguished Senator Ayo Akinyelure of Ondo Central Federal Constituency, over the contending issues between the Governing Council of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), and the embattled esthwhile Registar of the Institution, Olatunbosun Odusanya, has indeed put issues on the front burner, in proper perspective.
What truly transpired in the Senate session was a revalidation of the decision of the Governing Council ably chaired by Dr. Mohammed Yahuza, to show the way out of the University for the Ex-Registrar on the grounds of his gross misconduct in form of several infractions he committed against the University recruitment Regulations, Federal Character Commission Establishment Act and the Civil service Rules. But like the drowning man who is looking for every tiny branch sprouting up in the sea to hold on to, some faceless pen pushers, would rather continue to mislead the public , especially the University communtity over the current, true situation of things.
An unfortunate piece, penned by one idle writer, Akin Akinsolugan, entitled ” FUOYE, AS E DEY GO” ON THE EMBATTLED FUOYE REGISTRAR: THE TRUE STORY, is just making the rounds and in it, the writer did an unpardonable thing to journalism by alleging that the report given to the world, by the Special Adviser on Media Matters to the VC, Wole Balogun, about what happened on Monday, June 10 at the Senate session in Abuja, where the Senate Committee addressed issues bordering on Odusanya’s sack, was false!..
Why one wonders how a so-called journalist would descend so low as to paint what is white black and then kiss the dust to the extent of fabricating his own lies about the happenings of Monday, June 10 at the Senate session, one is not however surprised because of the fact that desperation, joblessness and poverty usually drive some cheap people into doing the unthinkable.
Now to the issues on ground, the writer said he found the VC’s media aide’s report false and misleading but he failed to present his evidence for which he is faulting the report. This is a disservice to journalism and such writer should be ashamed of himself by making empty allegations without presenting his own story/findings/facts as evidence to substantiate his claims.
He also made other watery statements, saying: “It is disappointing that a media aid (sic) to the Vice Chancellor could publish such misleading information especially now that false news is the order of the day. It is unexpected in a University and from the Vice Chancellor. Equally, the NASU Chairman who should be ashamed of himself and his cronies on how they were rubbished in Abuja further add his own unfortunate side of the untrue account of events.”
The pertinent question to ask is: what sense does the qouted statement above make? Apart from the errors on spelling that characterized the write up to show how unprofessional and immature the writer is, the fact that his statements are incoherent and are just absolute trash, is so appalling.
Truth is that the distinguished members of the Senate never rubbished anyone, neither the VC, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina nor Council chairman, Dr. Mohammed Yahuza. Not even the highly respected and popular NASU Chair. What really happened was that the esthwhile Registar got the shock of his life when a member of the Committee, precisely Senator Smart Adeyemi from Kogi State, lashed out at him over his untenable excuse for effecting lopsided appointment in FUOYE.
The Ex-Registrar had tried to justify the several illegal appointments he made by proving that he had got waivers not to advertise the vacancies from the Federal Character Commission, and also revalidated such waivers several times. But Senator Adeyemi, who was apparently vexed with such untenable excuse told Odusanya that it was wrong of him and indeed several other civil service administrators in the country to indulge in getting waivers for all vacancies that exist in Federal agencies because such action is largely responsible to massive unemployment currently plaguing the nation.
Senator Adeyemi and his other colleagues had warned the Ex-Registrar and people like him in the Federal civil service to desist from such actions. The senators even promised that they would sponsor a bill that would discourage granting of arbitrary waivers on advertising existing vacancies in the federal Institutions.
We also recall that the Senate Committee members asked Odusanya several pertinent questions bordering on his illegal dealings as Registrar and Director of Administration (D.A) of FUOYE and he had no satisfactory answers to these questions.
Some of such questions include, Did you get approval from the University Governing Council and the VC before employing 337 staff during the period under review?; Did any Committee of the University such as comprising of the Deans of faculties and or the Heads of departments have input into the recruitment excercise you single handedly carried out? etc.
The foregoing queries and others vehemently put forward to the esthwhile Registar by the members of the Senate Committee were met with embarrassing incoherent statements from him as other members of the public present at the session mocked him in derisive laughter. We have audio and video evidences of these happenings and we challenge this faceless writer to bring forth a contrary evidence.
The writer goofed terribly when he lied again, saying someone who witnessed the session said: “the VC made mess of himself and he was emphatically warned by the Senate Committee. And equally, the disgraceful outing of the Union leaders and large numbers of people (both staff and non staff) he sponsored to Abuja or how he made mess of the office of the VC. All his entourage were shamelessly walked out of the sitting”.
This is just a lie from the pit of hell and a deliberate cook up by this writer . There was no where the Senate Committee members warned the VC over the sack of Odusanya. In fact, the Senate Committee as a matter of fact, saw reasons with the University Governing Council for its decision to terminate the appointment of the esthwhile Registar. How could the Senate Committee have warned the VC when he had actually clarified that he was not even involved in the decision of the Council to sack Odusanya?. The VC in his response to Odusanya’s spuriuos allegation that the VC was behind his sack had clarified that he was not the Governing Council that sacked the Ex-Registrar. And as a matter of fact, the Chairman of the Council, Dr. Yahuza, also gave incontrovertible evidence for the sack of the embattled ex-Registrar to the Senate Committee. So on what ground would the Senate Committee have warned the VC?
Also, it was not true that the Senate Committee frowned at the decision of the University Council. As a matter of fact, the Senate Committee resolved to attend more closely and deeply into the issues in an executive session with only the principal officers of the University and the Council members so that they could effectively arbitrate on the matter without the full glare of the public through the cameras and reporters and other members of the University who, in a soldarity, were with the VC and the Council.
It was at the Executive session that the Senate Committee, having listened to both parties airring their views in a no-odds-barred manner, appealed passionately to the University Council chairman, to consider giving a softer landing for Odusanya in the interest of peace.
The Council chair, had replied the Senate Committee that while he would consider such advice, such decision, which would be a joint one by the members of the Council in a later meeting, would only be possible subject to fulfillment of certain pertinent conditions that the Council would give to the esthwhile Registar. This is the truth of the matter and there are evidences to back it up. The truth is also that the VC never spent even a night with the ICPC not to talk of four days these evil doers are telling lies about.
So, who is fooling who? These idle writers had better advise their paymasters to stop spreading rumours and falsehood and wake up to the reality of their downfall.
•Wole Balogun is Special Adviser on Media Matters to the VC.
