ASUU FUTA faults appointment of first female VC

By Damilola Ajibola

The appointment of Professor Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, as the first female and substantive Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), has been faulted by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), of the institution.

News Contact Online recalled that Professor Oladiji’s appointment was announced by the Governing Council of the institution, last week, by the Chairman of Council, Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, after a special meeting.

In a statement by the Chairman of ASUU, FUTA branch, Professor Olayinka Awopetu, said Oladiji’s appointment was not meritorious.

He said: “At the congress, we looked at the process, we are not talking about individuals. We found problems with the process at the very end of the procedure for the appointment of VC when the Council had to pick from the list of the three candidates submitted to it.

“Three nominees will be presented to Council in order of their positions. Under normal circumstances, the Council should pick the first because that is merit. There is no lobby about it.

“In case the Council will not select the first, Council must give serious cogent reasons why the first must be jettisoned for any other and that any other becomes second. If also the second will must be picked, there must be a set of reasons why he must not be picked and we now settle for the third.

“But in this case of FUTA, the Council in its wisdom decided to leave the first, left the second and the third, and opted for voting between the first and the second, thereby disenfranchising the third. By the law, any of the three candidates presented is good enough for the position of VC.

“If Council wanted to go for voting, we would have wanted to see the votes of the three. But we have votes of two and zero recorded for the third and that is where we believe something played out here. If you are not picking the best for the university, there must be cogent reasons and will not accept it until the Council does what is needful.

“Council can reverse itself, tell everybody why number one is not acceptable and why they have to settle for number two.

“We have rejected the appointment of the individual who came second in that interview that was presented to the council. Congress of ASUU in their resolution rejected that appointment.

“ASUU FUTA will not recognise that individual as VC and will never relate to it until every level of litigation has been completed.”