"No Court Order Restraining The Governing Council From Appointing A New Vice-Chancellor "- OAU Registrar

The Registrar of the Obafemi Awolowo University, D. O Awoyemi, has on this day, 17th June 2016, released the side of the Governing Council concerning the events that have transpired over the past few months as regards the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor for the University. In the release, he stated that the council did not receive any Court order stopping the process as claimed by the Protesting Unions. Find the Official release below;

1. The position of the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi
Awolowo University, becomes vacant at the expiration
of the incumbent’s 5-year tenure, on 23rd June,
2016.
2. The University Governing Council, at its 238th
meeting held on 8th December, 2015, approved that
the procedure for the appointment of a new Vice-
Chancellor should commence.
3. Advertisement for the position was placed in six
national dailies and responses were received from
interested candidates. The closing date for the
submission of applications was 26th January, 2016.
4. Council followed the procedure provided in the Laws
and the Statutes of the University by constituting a
Search Team consisting of:
A member of the Council, who is not a member of the
Senate, as Chairman
Two members of the Senate, who are not members of the
Council, one of whom shall be a Professor
Two members of the Congregation who are not members
of the Council, one of whom shall be a Professor
5. Senate, at its meeting held on 27th January, 2016,
elected two of its members to serve on the Search
Team. Congregation, also, at its meeting of 26th
January, 2016 had elected its representatives on the
team. Council at its special meeting of 28th
January, 2016, elected Chief Moses Otazi as
Chairman for the Search Team.
6. Council, at its meeting of 8th March, 2016, received
and considered the report of the Search Team.
Thirty-one (31) candidates were searched from
universities in Zaria, Nsukka, Lagos, Port Harcourt,
Benin, Ibadan and Ile-Ife. Only 3 indicated
interest, but, at the end, none of the three submitted
applications.
7. In conformity with Statute 6 of the Laws of the
University and Step 2 of the guidelines from the
Federal Ministry of Education, Council at that same
meeting, shortlisted the applications of the
candidates, using the eligibility criteria as advertised
in the newspapers for the post of the Vice-
Chancellor. At the end of the exercise, 6 candidates
were shortlisted from the 11 applications received.
8. Senate, at its meeting of March 30, 2016, elected
two of its members to form part of the Joint Council
and Senate Selection Board for the appointment of
Vice-Chancellor.
9. Council, at its meeting of April 6, 2016, also
elected two of its members to serve on the Joint
Council and Senate Selection Board for the
appointment of Vice-Chancellor. The representative of
the Federal Ministry of Education in the University
Governing Council, as well as a Commissioner and
the Secretary of Federal Universities at the Federal
Character Commission were also invited to serve as
Observers at the interaction with the shortlisted
candidates.
10. The Joint Council and Senate Selection Board met on
April 7, 2016, and drew up the scoring criteria for
the appointment of Vice-Chancellor in line with the
guidelines provided by the Federal Ministry of
Education, after which it was ready to commence
interaction with the shortlisted candidates.
Unfortunately, the candidates could not gain access
to the venue of the interaction as a result of the
violent protests of SSANU and NASU led by Mr.
S. O. Oketunde, Chairman of SSANU and Mr.
Wole Odewumi, Chairman of NASU and the
blockade of the entrances of the Pro-Chancellor’s
lodge and the Vice-Chancellor’s lodge, while the
Unions were trying to file some Court processes. Later
the same day, while the Council was meeting to be
briefed by the Chairman of Council on what
transpired during the day, the Chairman of
SSANU, Mr. S. O. Oketunde and the Chairman of
NASU, Mr. Wole Odewumi, led their members,
armed with sticks, cudgels and machetes, to storm
the venue of the meeting and held Council members
hostage, threatening to harm or kill them. It was
the eventual intervention of the Ooni of Ife, His
Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II,
following several distress calls by the Pro-Chancellor
and the Vice-Chancellor to the revered Monarch and
the Area Commander of the Nigeria Police, that
saved the Council members, who were allowed to
leave the venue only at about 1.00 a.m. at the
arrival of the Area Commander. The Council, upon a
careful review of the situation, took the inevitable
decision that all subsequent meetings of the Selection
Board and the Council on the selection process shall
be held at venues outside Ile-Ife for the safety of
the lives of the members of Council and the Selection
Board.
11. On Friday, April 8, 2016, a NOTICE OF
APPLICATION for an interim injunction was
served on the University. The Council, being a law-
abiding entity, accepted the notice when it was
served. It became apparent that the forceful
disruption of the meetings of both the Selection
Board and the Council was to allow SSANU and
NASU to finish the business of filing the notice of
application.
12. It is important to invite the attention of
members of the University community
to the fact that, as at today, Friday,
17th June, 2016, there is no court
order, ruling or judgment restraining
the University Governing Council from
appointing a new Vice-Chancellor for
the University.

Signed
Registrar and Secretary to Council
June 17, 2016.

OAU Officially Announce New Vice Chancellor

Amidst NASU protests,the governing council of the Obafemi Awolowo University had finally made the appointment of New Vice Chancellor Official.

In a release made to the public, dated June 17, 2016, by the University Registrar and Secretary to the council, O. Awoyemi, confirmed Professor Ayo Salami as the New Vice Chancellor.
An Extract from the release reads thus;
“The Governing Council, at its Special meetingheld on June 6, 2016, considered the report of theJoint Council and Senate Selection Board for theappointment of a new Vice-Chancellor for theUniversity and decided to appoint ProfessorAyobami Taofeek Salami as the eleventh Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for a term of five years with effect fromJune 24, 2016."

It will be recalled that the Federal High Court, Osogbo only recently adjourned thecase of the alleged Illegitimate Appointment of ProfessorAyo Salami as the Vice-Chancellor of the ObafemiAwolowo University as filed by the Non- Academic StaffUnion of the Institution some weeks back till Wednesday,6th July, 2016. The legality of the appointment ofProfessor Ayobami Salami as Obafemi Awolowo UniversityVice Chancellor which was made public some weeks backcontinues to remain a controversy.

Poor Turnout As ERC Holds Public Meeting

The Secretary of the Education Rights Campaign OAU branch; Comrade Omole Ibukun has beseeched students to join the current industrial actions embarked on by the members of NASU and SSANU. He made this public plea during a public meeting which was said to be organised in remembrance of the Genocide that occured during a students march against apartheid in Soweto, South Africa some  40 years ago.

The secretary of the ERC further opined that all the Unions on Campus were fighting for the same cause, that if all unions could aggregate their demands, the protest would be successful.

However the programme which was publicised to some reasonable extent saw just a few students in attendance and when asked by our correspondents for likely reasons for this, the Secretary commented that a little number of people start large transformations.

In the course of the meeting three main issues were discussed: The demands of NASU/SSANU and the role of the students, Comfortable learning conditions and Commercialization of the Education sector.

A very controversial highlight of the meeting arose when a Comrade Jeremiah when making submissions stated;  "How long we spend on campus does not matter, what we achieved matters most, let's orientate people to know this"

Towards the end of the meeting, attendees concluded to set up a five-man committee which will help to see to students welfare in which Com. Omole would lead.

The meeting which lasted for almost 4 hours was declared successful even with the absence of invited NASU and SSANU Chairmen whom the campaign Secretary excused due to some unavoidable circumstances.

OAU DSA Encourages Squatting?

“Squatting” is no stranger to the majority of Great Ife students.  Though it has different definitions according to individual perspectives, it could be simply explained as “an act of illegally occupying a building, space or land”.  In the OAU context, the squatting picture can be painted as a situation where there are other students apart from the legally allocated occupants inhabiting a particular room.  These extra students are called “squatters”.  Squatting as an act has always been in constant condemnation by the University’s management as strictly illegal and hence not allowed.

The newly admitted freshmen has found themselves in a rather unusual situation of exceeding the usual quota admitted every year.  Statistics has it that over 7,000 freshmen (against the usual of about 5,000) were admitted for the current academic session.  The unusual increase in population sure comes with different challenges for the management, one of which is majorly fixing the 2,000 (extra) fresh students into the already over-populated halls of residence.
Though some freshmen have been successfully accommodated by the Division of Students Affairs (DSA) and some financially-buoyant ones have been able to secure accommodation outside the school vicinity after being let down by the management, but there are many who are still “homeless” and as such are having a very hard time settling down.  Even after several complaints at the DSA by students who fall into this category, only few of them were lucky enough to be given accommodation.  It was also reported that the DSA, at some point, allegedly advised the affected students to “go and rent”.

This leaves the students with very limited options of either squatting or renting apartments as advised by the DSA.  While the later requires a substantial financial capability, which currently looks unachievable judging from the state of the Nigerian economy, the former seems easy, though “illegal”.
For some of these new students, their arrival on campus is the first time they would be leaving their parents’ care in the real sense.  Non-availability of bed-spaces for these ones in halls of residence, as you’ll agree with me, is a serious problem. To think that the affected freshmen will be in this tough situation for the next eight months or thereabouts is even more worrisome.

These students have been forced to put up with their acquaintances who were lucky enough to secure accommodation, or even moving from one room to another without a base.  They have resulted into “full squatting” (the widely-acclaimed illegal act), without minding the grave consequences as threatened by the management.  As much as squatting seems to be the only realistic solution, it comes with a great deal of inconvenience cum insecurity.  These students stand the chances of receiving different forms of disturbing abuse from roommates who will see them as unwelcomed guests and also security threats to their properties.

While some may be able to cope with the situation, it might be too much for others to handle.  This, on the long run, will definitely affect their academic pursuits (their primary assignment on campus).  A student who can is not sure of a proper abode to return into after the usual stress-fill day on OAU campus will surely not be in the right mood to study. 

Though there is little or nothing they can do about this rather unforeseen and undeserving circumstances, I’ll like to wish them good luck in their quest to survive this “baptism of fire” without getting burnt.


Ridwan A. Oyetunji writes from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife.
You can reach him via ridwanoyetunji_18@yahoo.com

Court Adjourns OAU VC Appointment Case Again

The Federal High Court, Osogbo has again adjourned the case of the alleged Illegitimate Appointment of Professor Ayo Salami as the Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University as filed the Non- Academic Staff Union of the Institution some weeks back till Wednesday, 6th July, 2016. The legality of the appointment of Professor Ayobami Salami as Obafemi Awolowo University Vice Chancellor which was made public some weeks back has continued to remain a bone of contention within the University Community. The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Institution has then filed a court case based on an earlier injunction on the appointment of a Vice Chancellor earlier filed by the same court.

Following arguments from the Counsel of both parties , the Judge then adjourned the case till July 6th, 2016, to rule on whether allegations of contempt of court will be attended to before cases bordering on jurisdiction.

Speaking to Campus Reporters of The Insider News Network after the court ruling, The cousel to NASU, Barr. S.T.A Raji said,  "The University Management have committed a big offence and with their denial, they cannot go ahead to appoint a new VC till the court decides the case on July 6, 2016″

However, the Counsel of the OAU Management, Barr. Anu Ogunro, maintained an earlier stance that no Vice Chancellor had been appointed by the council.

Consequentially, the University would most likely be without a Vice Chancellor upon the expiration of the tenure of current Vice Chancellor, Professor Bamitale Omole, on 23rd June, 2016.

Other reports gathered state that NASU has resulted to continue its strike till the new date. This was stated by the Union's Chairman, Comrade Wole Odewunmi, who said, “We are contented with an acting Vice Chancellor. We will continue to protest till July 6, 2016”.

Credits- The Insider News Network

Happy Birthday To Our Editor-in-Chief (Pope Jay)

Join me to celebrate the existence of a distinguished human of life, my friend, pen mate and confidant - Ojelabi Jesujoba.

Your humility wows me.
Your loyalty is second to known.
Your promptness to delivery is outstanding.
Your bravery inspires.
Your pen pierces deep.
Your articles dumb-found and instigate.

When we started out the Agency that brought us together, you were the last man standing when no one saw our vision; perhaps, there were no obvious gains then.

I know for sure that you are limitless in your influence in this generation and that which is to come.

You are someone I can never forget and I believe there are much more we can achieve together.

On behalf of all of us at OAU Peeps News Agency, we celebrate our ever dexterous Editor-in-Chief.

As you add another year today, I pray God will continue to enlarge your coast and bless you in all measures. Sound health and more accomplishments I wish you.

Igba odun, just one year for you fine boy!!!

- Prince David Adetula

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