UNIOSUN Crisis Divides Workers

The crisis rocking the Osun State
University (UINOSUN) is far from being
resolved as workers unions are holding
divergent positions on the sack of three
principal officers by the governing
council.
Last week, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof.
Bashiru Okesina, was recommended for
sack but the Registrar and Bursar, Dr.
J.O. Faniran and Mr. F.A. Lasisi, were
relived of their jobs.
A statement by its Chairman and General
Secretary, Lekan Adiat and A. Adesigbin,
after the emergency congress of the
Senior Staff Association of Nigerian
Universities (SSANU) advised the
Governing Council to wait for the Visitor,
Governor Rauf Aregbesola, to release the
White Paper of the visitation panel set
up by the government.
SSANU said: “We are aware that the
visitation panel report had been
submitted to the governor and we are
also aware that the White Paper is
almost completed.
“We advise Governor Aregbesola to
release the White Paper. Its prompt
release will serve as an antidote to
resolving the crisis in the university.”
Also, a delegate to the Governing
Council, Prof. Wasiu Gbolagade, has
written the Visitor on why he disagreeed
with the sack.
In the letter, Gbolagade said: “I
reminded the Governing Council that the
Panel was set up by the Visitor to look
into all the issues causing crises in the
university; one of which is the abrupt
suspension of the principal officers.
“Consequently, taking this further step of
recommending the vice-chancellor for
removal and termination of the
appointments of the registrar and bursar
is a premature action.
“It is worthy to note that the panel
Chairman, Prof Daramola Adebiyi, while
submitting the panel’s report, said the
crises “rocking the institution had
nothing to do with religion as being
speculated” and were solely
“administrative lapses”, hence, the
Council’s decision is too abrupt and
unjustifiable in my opinion.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) has condemned the sack,
describing the development as
prejudicial and done in bad faith.
But a group of lecturers, Senior
Professors of the Osun State University,
faulted ASUU’s position.
Prof. Abayomi Kizito Folorunso (French
Studies), Prof. Christopher Alebiosu
(Medicine), Prof. Temi Ologunorisa
(Climatology), Prof. Odunayo Clement
Adebooye (Agronomy) and Prof. Pat
Akinwusi (Cardiologist) signed a
statement against ASUU’s position.
The statement reads: “We are dismayed
by the recent statement of the ASUU-
UNIOSUN Executive on the decision of
Council to terminate the appointments of
some principal officers and the
subsequent recommendation of same for
the vice-chancellor.
“We, therefore, dissociate ourselves from
the said statement because it did not
emanate from the Congress of our Union.
“In the absence of a collective ASUU
congress, whatever statement the ASUU
chairman and his cronies have released
should be disregarded by the public.
“We are a group of intellectuals with
strong belief in debate before final
decisions will be taken on an issue as
sensitive as termination of appointment.
“In a situation where a group of
individuals take advantage of the
docility of our branch to ride roughshod
on congress will always be challenged.”