Fraud allegations: OOU union leaders sues for peace

Following the alleged mismanagent of about N100m by the Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Prof Sabur Adesanya, the joint action committee (JAC) of three unions in the University on Tuesday advised a section of the institution’s ALUMNI association to leave the Vice Chancellor alone and wait for the outcome of a pending court case they have instituted against the university over their money.

Some members of the National ALUMNI of OOU reportedly petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) recently, alleging misappropriation of the association’s N100m warehoused in the custody of the university by the Vice – Chancellor, Prof. Adesanya.

But the JAC of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) of the OOU, said they would no longer sit idle and allow a section of the ALUMNI to drag the reputation of the university in the mud for no just cause.

In a joint communique signed by Com. Taiwo Egberongbe (SSANU chairman), Com. Augustine Adebiyi(NAAT chairman) and Com. Rasaki John (NASU Chairman) at the end of their meeting in OOU Campus, Ago – Iwoye, said allegation of misappropriation of ALUMNI’s N100m against the Vice – Chancellor by a section of the National Alumni and some members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) is meant to confuse the public and put the university in bad light.

They said as staff of the university, there was never any money kept by the Alumni with the University management in any form, adding that even the then Governing Council of OOU led by Chief Alex Onabanjo and with Professor Wale Are Olaitan, as the then Vice-Chancellor, did proscribe the collection of dues for Alumni association since 2010.

According to them, the Governing Council had decided that money in the coffers of the university are to be used for infrastructure such as building hostels for the students to alleviate their accommodation problems and promote the idea of residential university tradition.

“We are aware that these factional leaders and the so-called BOT members had sued the University on this matter and the case is before a court of competent jurisdiction in Ogun state, why then is the same people sending petition to EFCC and going to press on the same matter.

“Are they jittery of an impending failure or are just looking for cheap popularity? We cannot fold our arms and allow some lazy individuals to rubbish the hard-earned new reputation of our dear University as rebuilt by Professor Saburi Adesanya in the last five years.

“For emphasis Professor Adesanya was invited to rescue this University when some people had wrecked the institution image and potentials. We make bold to say that he has performed beyond expectation in reviving this institution.

“If in the twilight of his administration some people parading themselves under the name of an unknown BOT of Alumni association, we smell a rat.

“We hope no group of persons is allowing itself to be used by people who are heavily jealous of his (V-C) towering heights of achievements and successes where they failed and to do a hatchet man’s job to rubbish the efforts of the VC,” they stated.