OAU VC Crisis: Oyetola Sues for Peace

By Adeolu Adegbaju

Osun State

The Governor of the State of Osun, Gboyega Oyetola, has enjoined aggrieved Ile-Ife indigenes who are protesting against the emergence of Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire as the new Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University to allow peace reign and stop the protest immediately. Gboyega Oyetola made the plea in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, on Tuesday, 22nd March 2022.

He noted that though the State has no role in the choice of who becomes Vice-Chancellor being a Federal Institution, he has a responsibility for the safety and security of the Institution and its workers as the host governor. He urged all protesting citizens to exercise restraint and allow peace to reign.

He further said, “It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of concern that I call on the good people of Ile-Ife, especially those protesting over the choice of a new Vice-Chancellor for Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) to stop further protests and give peace a chance.

“By their nature and functionality, universities are rules- and convention-based conservative institutions premised on academic and governance autonomy.”

“If we have any reason to believe that these rules are circumvented, there are laid-down procedures to remedy such situations rather than resorting to self-help. We are known for peace in Osun. We must therefore not do anything to tarnish that enviable reputation,“ Oyetola added.

Read Also: Ife Indigenes Protest OAU VC Origin

Reacting to the development in OAU, the governor of Ondo State, Governor Rotimi Akereledolu, in a statement on Tuesday stated that the invasion of the Campus by some Ife indigenes and traditionalists to protest the alleged failure of the Governing Council to appoint “an Ife indigene” as VC was a disappointment.

Akeredolu who is an alumnus of the Institution, lamented that the invasion was the evidence of the rot in academia, adding that all those responsible for the invasion should be ashamed of themselves

The statement read in part, “The latest news on the invasion of the campus by some Ife indigenes and traditionalists, allegedly, to protest the failure by the authorities to appoint ‘an Ife indigene’, showcases the extent to which the system has sunk, almost irretrievably.

“To assert that we are disappointed is an understatement. All those responsible for this disgrace should be ashamed of themselves, and this is assuming they possess any sense of shame. This act should elicit the most strident condemnation from all good people. I condemn it without equivocation.”

The Governor, however, called on the university’s supervisory authorities to take decisive actions to address the issue and to prevent such occurrence in the future.

Akeredolu lamented that the glory of his beloved alma mater had diminished noting that universities were more interested in trivial issues rather than teaching and research.

Read Also: OAU Appoints New Vice-Chancellor