Foluso Ogunmodede (PRO)
President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has lauded giant strides being recorded at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti,Ekiti State, Nigeria in the two and a- half years of the five-year tenure of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof,. Abayomi Sunday Fasina as extra-ordinary.
He described it as excellent development which had truly bestowed on the university as “Nigeria’s fastest growing University.
Osodeke, who was on a working-visit to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Fasina, also eulogized the VC on the reigning peace in the university which according to him was lacking before Prof. Fasina assumed office as the university’s fourth substantive Vice-Chancellor.
He said : “We all know the story of FUOYE during the reign of Prof. Kayode Soremekun. As a matter of fact: it is about one problem or the other, attempting to bring our members against each other especially as some members who believed that they must worship the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Soremekun which led to a series of problems and crisis on campus. And we all know the story of this university throughout that time.
“No university will develop if there is no peace as nobody enjoys crisis in the absence of peace.”
Also, Prof. Osodeke berated the federal government for not empowering the nation’s Vice-Chancellors to exercise discretion over employment and financial decisions, saying it was time for the Vice-Chancellors to have power over resources of their various Universities.
According to him, “we must go back to the old days where the Vice-Chancellors had the right to manage funds.
He went on: “In the sixties, no minister has the power to invite a Vice-Chancellor because in those days, Professors earned more than a minister. We need to change the narrative. We need to also change the system whereby a Vice-Chancellor will have to run to the head of service, to get permission before he would employ a clerical officer. This must change.”
Professor Osodeke, however, eulogized the University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina for ground-breaking records as demonstrated in visible and laudable achievements dotting the university in his almost two and a-half years in office, describing it as novel.
While praising the Vice-Chancellor, the ASUU president also encouraged Prof. Fasina to step up and set machinery in motion for the university’s senate building, saying the administrative building of FUOYE was not befitting enough especially in view of the monumental infrastructural facilities put in place by the administration of Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina.
“With all due respect, when I entered, I saw this building, I said is this a senate building of this university? Let us be fair to ourselves, this belittles FUOYE compared to what we have in UNILAG,UNN, UI etc when they started.
“But here you see the
opposite.”
Responding, Professor Fasina, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, Prof Tajudeen Bolanle Opoola welcomed the ASUU president into the University alongside other Principal Officers of the University.
While welcoming Professor Osodeke on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Fasina, Prof Opoola conveyed the VC’s message, saying he was looking forward to receiving the ASUU president in his office but had to travel for an official assignment.
Prof. Opoola took his time to reel out some of the monumental achievements of the VC from infrastructural development of the university to the academic record which had put FUOYE as number four most- sought university following the steadfastness and hardworking Vice-Chancellor in his determination to put FUOYE on a global map.
He said: “We welcome and congratulate our president particularly on your re-election as president of ASUU and wish you more successes.
“On behalf of Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, I welcome you this morning.
“He was so much interested when he heard of your visit and was eager to receive you but he had to travel on an official engagement outside the state and directed me to receive you on his behalf.
“It is a great pleasure that the university management welcomes you to the fastest growing university in Nigeria and fourth most sought after university out of over 264 universities in the country going by the 2023 JAMB ratings.
“As a management, we are pleased with your re-election as ASUU President. We are together, no division. The University under the leadership of our indefatigable Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Fasina does not joke with the staff’s welfare.
“Mr, Presient sir, Ado to Oye is now #1,500 following the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government and to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal the Vice-Chancellor purchased two 89 seater buses for the staff to and fro, making their coming to work more pleasurable.
“As lecturers are now being assisted with stipends to also cushion the effect of subsidy removal at least to augment the purchase of data bundles.
“The university senate approved leave for all lecturers in order to have some weeks of rest.
“We are also glad to tell you that members of FUOYE ASUU are presently at peace with each other.
“Finally, sir, we want ASUU at the national level to think more of welfare packages for members even as we are looking forward to having our eight month’s salary paid by the federal government.
“We want you to use your good office to assist members and the ASUU members will laugh again.”
