I will continue to travel with my wife only,-says EKSU VC, Bandele

The Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University, (EKSU) Ado Ekiti, Prof. Samuel Oye Bandele has insisted that he will continue to travel with his wife alone and not somebody else’s wife.

Bandele who made the declaration while reacting to allegations against him by some workers of the university insisted that he had no apology for travelling with with his wife and not other women.

He said, “Some women here are not happy that I did not take them along and I have no apology for travelling with my wife whether local or overseas. If I travel with my wife, why are they angry?

“We travel by economy class even when I am entitled to business class but I write for a waiver because I don’t want to defraud the university.

“I will continue to travel (abroad) with my wife because I will not travel with somebody else’s wife.”

Other allegation by the workers include, underground recruitment of hundreds of new workers and award of contracts without due process.
The workers are also accusing the Vice Chancellor, of “secretly” recruiting more staff without the knowledge of the Visitor, Governor Ayo Fayose.

They also accused Bandele of purchasing ten new cars, awarding contracts to his wife, Mrs. Comfort Titilayo Bandele, and taking her on official foreign tours “when she is not an official of the university.”

Workers, in leaflets distributed on campus, accused the VC of engaging in frivolous overseas trips alleging that he had engaged in not less than ten foreign tours within one year of assumption of office.

The staff also accused the VC of renovating his residence to the tune of N20 million and appointing his wife as Director of EKSU Water, a business venture of the university.

They alleged that the VC’s wife is in charge of admissions, contracts and employments and influencing the appointments of several indigenes of her hometown, Itapa-Ekiti into the university.

Defending his integrity, Bandele described the allegations as “lies from the pit of hell.” saying “I have no single car of my own even as I speak”

He accused some former workers who were dismissed for forgery and certificate racketeering as the brains behind the allegations. According to him, seven of them were sacked after being indicted in the scandal.

Bandele denied recruiting 300 staff “secretly” saying only 15 new workers were employed since the last major recruitment exercise of last year.

Bandele denied the allegation that his wife is in charge of admissions, contracts and employments and her appointment as Director of EKSU Water

But he admitted going on foreign official trips with his wife which he said were done on economy class rather than business class to which he is entitled.

Denying the allegation of secret recruitment, Bandele said “Last year, we recruited 300 but some people alleged that we recruited
700 or 1,000; these are lies because since the recruitment of last year, we have only recruited 15 persons to fill some vacancies.”

“There are evil people here, they don’t want the university to grow; before I came to office, there was a cabal here. In fact, they forged my signature and these people have been dismissed”.

Insisting that there is no way he could be plaese those making the allegation, Bandele said: “This place was a den of corrupt people selling certificates and don’t expect that these people will be my friend.

“There is no way I can please them and there is no way I can be their friend, I can not allow anything to tarnish my name. I am a child of God, I can not allow anything to come in between me and Jesus Christ” Bandele insisted.