Again, Another Principal Officer, At FUOYE Suspended, May Be Sacked |The Source

By Ayodele Oni

As moves by Prof Abayomi Fashina to consolidate his stronghold as the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, (FUOYE) continues, another Principal Officer of  the University is on her way out.

This time, it is the Bursar, Mrs. Bolatito Akande, who has been placed on suspension by the Management.

Her suspension, which was communicated to her in a letter dated May 5, 2021 by Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, came few days after the Registrar, Mr. Olatunbosun Odusanya, was sacked over alleged illegal recruitment.

Mrs Akande, it was gathered, is one of the Principal Officers fingered in an abortive move to block the emergence of Prof Fashina as the VC during the selection process.

Both Mrs Akande and the sacked Registrar, Mr Olatubosun Odusanya, identified as chronic supporters of the immediate past VC, Prof Kayode Soremekun, had their appointments hurriedly ratified by the Governing Council at the tail end of Soremekun’s exit.

Mrs Akande’s letter of suspension titled: ‘Suspension from the University’, explained that she was suspended by the Governing Council of the institution at its Fourth Extraordinary meeting on 27th, April, 2021.

According to the letter, this is to give room for investigation into the allegations of gross misconduct leveled against her by the Labour Unions in the University.

Mrs Akande in her reaction, described her suspension as unconstitutional and illegal, saying she has not committed any act that could warrant her suspension.

She described as dehumanising and humiliating the way she was harassed by the University’s security men while trying to gain access to her office last Thursday, saying such brigandage shouldn’t exist in any higher institution of learning.

Mrs Akande explained that she got knowledge about the petitions by a group through the Personal Assistant to the Vice Chancellor who sent a message to her last week to intimate her about a Panel already sitting on the petition.

“A text message was sent to me last week Wednesday by one Abayomi Kuku that I was to appear before a panel of investigation last Thursday by 11: 00 am.

“I honoured them and immediately I left the venue of the panel and got back to my office, I met two security men at the entrance and I discovered the office had been locked. The two men informed me that the order was from above.

“I put a call to the Vice Chancellor to confirm the development, he told me that he never knew anything about it, that I should contact the Chief Security Officer of the institution.

“All my belongings, including the hand bag that I brought to the office on that day, were locked inside the office. As I am talking to you now, they were still inside the office; they didn’t allow me to have access to the office.

“Similarly, no single letter was given to me from the Management of the institution, except the one sent to me by the Personal Assistant to the Vice Chancellor.

“In fact, I was chased out of office like a child and low ranking officer. This, I found unlawful, embarrassing and undignifying”.

Special Adviser on Media Matters to the Vice Chancellor, Wole Balogun, however, stated that “Prof Fashina is a law abiding citizen and could not have supported brigandage. It was not true that the Bursar was harassed.

“Let me clear the air that the security men that were deployed at the gate were as a result of the ongoing probe. They were there to maintain law and order.”

He, however, did not say why the Bursar was not allowed into her office to pick, even, her hand bag.