Jubilation in FUTA as Minister suspends VC, Registrar

It was jubilation galore across the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) yesterday as union leaders and majority of the staff danced following the suspension of the embattled Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof, Adebiyi Daramola, by the Minister for Education, Malam Adamu Adamu. Prof Daramola was said to have been suspended alongside the Registrar […]

It was jubilation galore across the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) yesterday as union leaders and majority of the staff danced following the suspension of the embattled Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof, Adebiyi Daramola, by the Minister for Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.

Prof Daramola was said to have been suspended alongside the Registrar of the varsity, Dr Mrs Modupe Ajayi.

The chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the University and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) ‎Dele Durojaiye confirmed the suspension of the duo by the minister to journalists.

Durojaiye said details of their suspension had not been communicated to them.

The suspended VC and the Bursar, Emmanuel Oresegun, have been dragged to court by the EFCC over alleged mismanagement of the school’s funds.

They ‎were granted bail by the Federal High Court in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

It was not clear why the Registrar was suspended as it was the VC and Bursar who were allegedly fingered for fraud.

Spokesman of FUTA, Adegbenro Adebanjo, said there is no ‎information that the two principal officers of the university have been suspended by the Education minister.

It will be recalled that the Non-Teaching unions of the university called off their seven months-old industrial action on Tuesday.

The unions had earlier gone on strike to protest the refusal of the federal government to sack the Vice Chancellor despite his case with the EFCC.

This is coming as the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU‎) ‎of the university insisted that the tenure of the embattled Vice Chancellor had lapsed‎.

However, FUTA’s JAC chairman, Dele Durojaiye acting on a verdict of the National Industrial Court recalled the workers back to work.

Durojaiye said the court had given an order that the striking workers should resume work within 24 hours.

He added that the court equally‎ ordered the university’s management to pay all outstanding salaries within 24 hours and that those whose appointments were terminated be reinstated forthwith.

In a directive to the union members, Durojaiye said: "therefore as law-abiding citizens who believes in the rule of law, our members should resume for work while we await the university to pay our salaries

"Our protest is hereby suspended and you are to await the Union’s further directives / information after 24hrs hours given to Management to pay up all outstanding salaries.

On the tenure of the VC, the ASUU leadership in the institution insisted that his tenure had since lapsed on May 9th and not May 23 this year as announced by the management.

According to them, Prof. Daramola "assumed office on the 10th May, 2012; and as such his tenure should end on 9th May, 2017.

But in a ‎swift reaction, Dr. Ajayi said the tenure of the VC will end on May 23, 2017.

She said: "While the Vice-Chancellor appreciates the concern of ASUU-FUTA leadership on this matter and has responded to provide the required information, it is considered expedient to bring this to public domain and in particular to the members of the university community that the information making rounds in some quarters within the campus that the Vice Chancellor, Prof Daramola, assumed office on the 10th May, 2012; and as such his tenure should end on 9th May, 2017 is absolutely incorrect.

"For the avoidance of doubt, this is to inform all members of staff, students and the entire members of the University Community that the Vice Chancellor, Prof Daramola assumed office on the 24th May, 2012, the same day his inauguration took place.

 "This, ipso facto, implies that his 5-year tenure will come to an end on 23rd May, 2017.”