Students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, on Wednesday, staged a protest against what they described as an orchestrated attempt to destabilise the institution through unsubstantiated allegations against the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina.
The protest comes amid accusations by the advocacy group, Campaign for Justice and Fair Play, which alleged that the National Women’s Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities was leading a well-funded campaign to remove the VC.
Led by the Student Union Vice President, Olaniyan Eniola, the students warned the SSANU Women’s Committee against making inflammatory statements that could threaten the university’s peace.
They carried placards with inscriptions rejecting what they called a “politically motivated smear campaign.”
The controversy stems from a call by the SSANU Women’s Committee during a meeting in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, demanding Prof. Fasina’s suspension over an alleged sexual harassment case involving a senior staff member, Mrs. Folasade Adebayo.
However, the students dismissed the allegations, insisting that Adebayo had never formally accused the VC of sexual harassment.
“The VC has already clarified that in her official petition to the governing council, Mrs. Adebayo never mentioned sexual harassment,” Eniola stated. “Even in her statements before the police, there was no mention of such an allegation. So where did the SSANU Women’s Committee fabricate this claim from?”
CJFP Chairman, Calistus Jemade, also condemned the allegations, describing them as a politically motivated attack designed to discredit the VC.
“The sponsors of this campaign are not seeking justice but are actively working to destabilise the university,” Jemade said in a statement.
“This is a calculated political attack against a leader who has worked tirelessly to improve FUOYE.”
CJFP called on the FUOYE Senate, alumni, staff, and students to stand in solidarity with the vice-chancellor and resist any attempts to divide the institution.
The group also urged the chairman of the governing council to expedite action on the ongoing investigation to prevent further misinformation from spreading.
