Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), EKSU Branch has said that the university may witness unprecedented crisis very soon if the appropriate authorities fail to address the financial problem which has subjected workers to untold hardship and crippled the progress of the institution.
The union in a press statement titled “EKSU IS SITTING ON A KEG OF GUN POWDER” lamented the poor attention of the incumbent Chairman of the Governing Council of EKSU Prof. Bamitale Omole, and the state government to the various crisis ravaging the university.
The statement which was signed by the Chairman of the ASUU, Comrade Kayode Arogundade and the Secretary Comrade Ogunwale worries that the University Council and the Visitor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, have not done anything to improve the financial situation of the University, saying the institution is now back to the era of payment of amputated salaries for an upward of 12 months and still counting. “We are demanding explanation from the Chairman of Council, Prof. Tale Omole, and the Visitor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, both of whom we assume to be renowned academics, and whom we think should have a better understanding of the workings of the University system, on why they have continuously ignored the suffering and inhuman conditions of the staff of EKSU. “It is important to note that in spite of several meetings that the union had had with the Visitor, nothing tangible has been done about the situation on ground, even when he has promised and assured us on several occasions that he would increase the monthly subvention to the University.
Rather than consolidate the development of the University; which he promised to make a world class University, he went ahead to establish a College of Agriculture in his home town, despite his frequent claims of paucity of funds in the State. This we believe is tantamount to hypocrisy and insincerity.
According to the chairman of the union, Comrade Arogundade, it is important to keep members of the public abreast of the true picture of situation in the university saying the patience of his members has been stretched to a breaking point, hence the Union should not be held responsible for any events occurring as a consequence of the lackadaisical attitudes of the State Government, Governing Council and the Vice Chancellor.”We wish to use this medium to call on well meaning citizens of Ekiti State to appeal to the Visitor and the Chairman of Council to tow the path of honour and look for means of giving adequate financial supports to the University. Education is the major industry in Ekiti State (Fountain of Knowledge and Land of Honour), and her only University should be a model to other Universities in Nigeria. Our members have over this period endured denials and hardships arising from the failure of University in paying our entitlements. Comrade Kayode Arogundada also hit hard on the chairman of the governing council, Prof. Bamitale Omole, whom he claimed had done more harm than good to the university since he assumed office as the chairman of the Governing Council.
Arogundade explained that instead of Professor Omole to address the crisis staring him in the face, he went ahead to the media to paint a picture that suggest that all is well in the institution.
The statement reads, ” The attention of ASUU- EKSU has been drawn to a recent interview granted to an online news medium by Prof. Bamitale Omole, who is the incumbent Chairman of the Governing Council of EKSU, where he made some “beautiful”, but empty submissions about the underfunding problems being experienced by Universities in Nigeria. He spoke like he is the mouthpiece of the proprietors of these Universities (both State and Federal Universities) by defending their nonchalant attitudes towards the financial problems facing these institutions. “We, ASUU-EKSU, are constrained to state that, Prof. Omole’s interview mislead and do not reflect the situation of things in our own University. We note here that, Prof. Omole as the Chairman of Governing Council has caused more harm than good to the University since assuming duty.”All the high sounding and glamorous postulations/claims, ascribed to Prof. Omole in that press interview, are direct opposite of what obtains at EKSU, and what he stands for as the Chairman of the Governing Council of EKSU.”It is not a secret that EKSU is poorly funded under the watch of Prof. Omole, who has not done anything to improve the situation of things that he met on ground. Rather, the University is yet to recover from the mismanagement of the Prof. Sam Oye Bandele led Administration; under the callous watch of an almighty former Visitor to the University, Peter Ayodele Fayose, who released only six months subventions for a whole year of 12 calendar months.”The University had consistently deducted Tax (PAYE) from our salaries without remitting such to the Internal Revenue Services. This has prevented our members from obtaining tax Clearance from the Inland Revenue Services. This has no doubt put our members in precarious situations. “Prof. Omole’s media interview was a glaring attempt to hoodwink the public and make it look as if he is providing the necessary and required leadership in the University.”In spite of his promise to attract funds to the University and to appeal to the Visitor to increase the inadequate subvention to the university, he has chosen to embark on media glitz. “It is disheartening that the Chairman of Council, instead of attracting funds to the University has chosen to deliberately ignore the call of all and sundry to unveil the masquerades behind a celebrated Fraud (a.k.a Portal Fraud) in EKSU. If a University as poorly funded as ours is defrauded of a humongous sum and the Chairman of Council who is in possession of reports of investigations into the case continues to chase shadows, while the perpetrators appear to be untouchable, then the credibility of his leadership is questionable.
