The crisis that has engulfed the Osun State University that culminated in the locking of horns between the Management of the university and the Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin reached its crescendo recently with the 10 June, 2015 release of an abridged version of the White Paper on the report of Prof. Adebiyi Daramola-led Visitation Panel set up by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, the Visitor of the institution.
For Uniosun community and stakeholders, the release of the White Paper was expected to douse tension and provide an opportunity for fairness, justice and strict adherence to extant laws and rules governing the institution with the promise of a new order in the university.
But such lofty dreams has disappeared into thin air as the report has further polarised, engender mistrust and suspicion due to its politicization and the legitimization of the injustices it ought to tackle due to its alleged manipulation to suit the agenda of the Governing Council slated for dissolution.
Consequent upon the acceptance of the Visitation Panel report and the release of the White Paper report by Osun state government, the appointments of key players in the institution was ordered to be terminated. Prof. Bashiru Okesina – Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Julius Faniran – Registrar, Alhaji Fatai Lasisi and Prof. Siyan Oyeweso became casualties in the ensuing power game in the institution.
However, a closer look at the White Paper that emanated from the recommendations of the Visitation Panel raised a lot of questions begging for answers. It has also raised doubts in certain quarters that the panel report might have been doctored and the White Paper scripted to suit the persecution mentality of the Chairman of the Governing Council and powerful insiders within the state government desperate to cash in on the crisis to feather its own sectional agenda.
In the first instance, the panel sought to ensure fairness and justice between the two parties in the crisis through its Recommendation 1 where it says, “in view of this, and to avoid a one-party-win-the-other-lose-situation, the Panel recommends the following, bearing in mind the danger of dissolving both the Council and Management at the same time.”
Consequently, “the Prof. A.B. Okesina-led Management should be terminated by relieving the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and Bursar of their positions in the Osun State University immediately.”
This recommendation, aside from being at variance with Recommendation 2 which retains the Olawoyin-led Council for another six months to search for a new Vice-Chancellor and other principal officers for the university, [the Governing Council an indicted party in the crisis also recommended for dissolution] raises the fundamental questions of fairness, justice and crisis management ability on the part of the Visitor.
The university system runs on the committee system. In all of these, there seems to be no recorded attempt of any committee set up to reconcile the management and council by the supervising authority from the state government before the relationship festered and broke down irretrievably.
The Panel hinged its Recommendation 5 for the dissolution of Council on its failure to meet geographical spread as per representation as clearly stipulated in Osun State University Laws 2006.
The law provides for two representatives from each of the three major zones of the state, namely Osun Central, Osun East and Osun West. A representative each from the Alumni association and the National Universities Commission, the Pro-Chancellor, VC, DVC’s, Representatives of Senate, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Osun state.
Even when the University might have met other requirements of the law as regards membership of Council, out of the three major zones in the state, the East has five members out of the six required namely: Governor Rauf Aregbesola – Visitor, Oba Okunade Sijuwade – Chancellor, Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin – Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council, Dr. Mrs Abeke Omotoso [sister of Visitor] – Member, Sir Ademola Aladekomo – Member The only representative from Osun Central is Prof. Akinyinka Omigbodun while the demise of Chief Remi Olowude has left Osun West without any representative in the Council.
From the point of constitution of Council, it has no representative of National Universities Commission [NUC] and the Alumni Association. Now, Prof. Ajibola Obafemi from Ogun state is now the chairman of Council following the resignation of Prof. Gabriel Olawoyin.
It is logical to argue that the inability of the university to meet the requirements of its laws as regards the composition of Council could render its decisions ultra vires and of no effect.
Another dimension to the panel report is that those relieved of their jobs or indicted are mainly from a particular section of the state thereby fuelling speculations of a zonal cleaning agenda.
The Registrar, Bursar, Prof. Siyan Oyeweso and Prof Wasiu Gbolagade are all from Osun West axis of the state. It is probably a mere coincidence that two out of the three most qualified for the office of the Vice-Chancellor of the university in view of current developments are Prof. Siyan Oyeweso and Prof. Wasiu Gbolagade.
The former was relieved of his appointment while the latter was banned from holding any position in the university. The third person is Prof. Bayonle Olorede from Osun Central. He never appeared before any panel for any wrong doing whatsoever but was axed by the panel report and banned from holding any office in the university for five years.
Tongues are wagging already of a clandestine plot to seize the jugular of the university in a high wired politics of succession in the race for the office of the Vice-Chancellor.
According to the script put together by two key figures in the Aregbesola administration to alter through a review of Osun State University Laws 2006, the 10-year post professorial experience required for the office of the Vice-Chancellor to favour a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the university, who is presently a teacher at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun state.
This could be the reason behind the insertion of Recommendation 53 which sought to hijack the traditional role of Ministry of Justice to review laws for the Ministry of Regional Integration and Special Duties.
The panel recommended that the Visitor should ensure the passage of the amended laws of the university before the Osun State House of Assembly. “The Governing Council be directed to revise the proposed reviews in view of current realities, and make appropriate amendments that will ensure ease of governance in the university at all time.”
The government position on Recommendation 53 was that the review should be “forwarded to the Ministry of Regional Integration and Special Duties for processing. Council should note and comply.”
While Professors Wasiu Gbolagade and Siyan Oyeweso were singled out for sanctioning by the panel for attending “rebellious meetings” against the Governing Council at the VC’s house where the decision to boycott the 12 January, 2015 Council meeting was reached, others at the meeting like Professors Oguntola Jelili Alamu, Dayo Idowu Akintayo, Fikayo Ezekiel Babatunde and Maxwell Oyinloye, the University Librarian were not mentioned for any penalty.
To pledge his loyalty, Oyinloye wrote a letter of apology to the Council chairman dated 13 April, 2015 for his absence at the 12 January Council meeting. Another seemingly contradictory position of the panel lies in Recommendation 8 and 9. At 8[d] that forms part of the reason adduced for recommending Prof. Siyan Oyeweso’s appointment for termination was “his insistence that the Council had been dissolved without enjoining the Management to seek official clarification on the matter; and basing his advice to Management on that erroneous belief.”
Meanwhile, in Recommendation 9[d], Professor Wasiu Gbolagade was punished with a ban from holding any office in the University “for having the effrontery to forward the circulars on the purported dissolution of the Council to the Chairman of Council with ulterior motives, and circulating the circulars among some staff rather than advising the Management to seek proper clarification.”
Ademola Akinyemi of the Bureau of Cabinet and Special Services, Office of the Governor, in a letter dated 3 December, 2014 titled “Dissolution of State Executive Council” had among others ordered the immediate dissolution of the State Executive Council and Boards of Parastatals and Commissions effective from 26 November, 2014 with the exception of {a} Civil Service Commission {b} Judicial Service Commission {c} State Independent Electoral Commission.
It was amidst the speculations on the status of the Governing Council as per the dissolution ordered by government that Prof. Gbolagade, a member of Council representing the Senate, wrote a letter to the Vice-Chancellor demanding clarification on the status of the Council.
Another question mark on the report of the panel was the observation made by the former Bursar of the institution on Recommendation 13.
According to Fatai Lasisi, in a letter addressed to Governor Aregbesola dated 22 June, 2015 stated that he needed to correct “some inaccuracies, fallacies and misrepresentation in the White Paper released which I presumed arose out the of main report submitted by the Professor Gregory Adebiyi Daramola-led panel.”
Lasisi noted that while Recommendation 13 stated that, “The Bursar, Prof. Folorunso Kizito, Prof. Wasiu Gbolagade and other person yet to refund the money paid to them as IGR proceeds should be able to make refunds with immediate effect” and was so accepted by the government, the true position of the situation was that “the money being referred to is not IGR proceeds in general terms but honoraria for participation in the Pre-Degree programmes and honoraria for Project Supervision as approved by Council at its meeting of Tuesday, May 13, 2008,” he insisted.
The former Bursar, whose share of the money in question has been refunded since 3 December, 2013 and officially acknowledged, wondered why the identities of others like Mrs Abidemi Okunola, Adenrele Akinwumi and Isaiah Makinde Fayemi [non-academic staff members of the institution] who are also beneficiaries of the honorarium was shrouded in secrecy while himself, Prof. Wasiu Gbolagade, Prof. Folorunso Kizito were singled out for publication in the gazette report.
He enjoined the Governor to see to it that the error is corrected and published as an addendum to the gazette White Paper “to ensure fairness, equity and justice,” he appealed.
There is no doubt that the current atmosphere of mistrust and uncertainty that pervades the university is not conducive to the serenity, tension-free environment and a sense of camaraderie needed to engage in unfettered exchange of ideas, research and knowledge reproduction.
It remains to be seen whether the contending forces struggling for control of the university will put the long term interest of the university first or let their selfish desires drown the future of this promising citadel of learning. Only time would tell. END
Adebayo, a management consultant and Uniosun stakeholder, writes from Lagos.
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