The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led Federal Government to urgently intervene in the alleged embezzlement of the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the Institution by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina, and the allegation of him sexually assaulting some female staff of the Institution.
The Chairman of FUOYE branch of the association, Comrade Faleye Benjamin, made this known while
addressing the Congress of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, on Monday at the Science Lecture Theatre, Phase 2 of the main campus of the Institution.
Following the allegations, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities called on the Federal government to constitute a panel of enquiry to look into the affairs of the Institution under the said Vice Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina since he came on board.
He alleged that female members are being exposed to various kind of intimidation, victimization and sexual harassment while calling on the federal government to intervene in the matter to nip the menace in the bud.
The Association also accused the VC of creating a hostile work environment, abuse of office, undermining confidence in university leadership, administrative recklessness and lack of accountability.
The workers called for reversal of appointments of teaching staff into non-teaching Roles, describing such as a deviation from standard university practices.
Comrade Benjamin seized the opportunity to urge the new Governing Council of FUOYE led by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba to take a look at the plight of SSANU members in the institution.
His words: “Our members have been exposed to various kind of intimidation, victimization and sexual harassment of our female members. So, these are the cases that we have brought up with the former Council Chairman, Engr Kayode Ojo that is being looked into.
“We have a particular one that officially took the matter up and she wrote to us that she was victimized and sexually harassed by the Vice-Chancellor. We took the case up, presented it to the previous Council Chairman.
“So, we don’t want such case to be swept under the carpet. That’s why we are calling on the federal government of Nigeria to come down to the aid of FUOYE and come and see what is happening here.
“We have raised allegation regarding embezzlement of IGR. We want a standard, there should be uniformed standard when it comes to university in Nigeria. So the same standard is what we want FUOYE to follow suit. That is what we are clamouring for.
“We are particular about the reshuffling of the new Governing Council Chairman, Engr Kayode Ojo. Within the short period of time that we spent with him, we find it so easy working with him.
“I believe that he has been able to understand the plight of the union within the short period of time. We are still using this opportunity to welcome Senator Ndoma-Egba to FUOYE.
“We believe that all our agitations that is being looked into by the previous council chairman, that he is going to continue from there because we have serious issues at the level of FUOYE”.
Meanwhile, a caucus comprising members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Congress of Nigerian Academics (CONUA), Non-Academic Staff of Universities (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) have defended the VC describing the allegations against him as baseless.
In their response, the caucus firmly rejected the allegations and described them as the work of unprogressive elements acting on behalf of political sponsors seeking to discredit the administration ahead of the forthcoming Vice-Chancellorship race in 2025.