The Students Union Government of Federal University, Oye Ekiti, has dismissed the allegations levelled by the National Association of Nigerian Students President, Olusola Oladoja, against the institution’s Governing Council and Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina.
FUOYE SUG President, Olorunsola Abiodun and Secretary General, Ife Lateef, in a letter to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, dated Saturday, dissociated students of the institution from the petition submitted to him by the NANS president.
The NANS president had in the petition titled “Petition on the crisis at FUOYE” dated May 2, alleged cover-ups of official misconducts and other alleged misconducts against FUOYE management and Governing Council.
NANS had urged the minister to remove FUOYE VC and the Governing Council Chairman, Senator Victor Udoma-Egba and as well reconstitute an independent, non-partisan panel to revisit all allegations against the VC and make recommendations within 72 hours.
But Abiodun and Lateef, in the SUG letter titled, “Re: Formal disclaimer and refutation of the NANS petition against the VC and Governing Council of FUOYE”, debunked the NANS president’s allegations and claims as misrepresentation of facts.
The SUG described the NANS’ claims as move targeted at undermining FUOYE’s leadership and institutional integrity, said, “As student leaders committed to justice, transparency and the welfare of our constituents, we shall not stand idly by while misinformation is weaponised to discredit the progress of our university.
“We view this as a deliberate attempt to malign the leadership of our institution and to destabilise the ongoing progress achieved under their stewardship”, the students said, as they urged the minister to “kindly disregard the petition submitted by the NANS leadership, as it is devoid of credibility, factual merit, and legitimate representation”.
Abiodun and Lateef urged the minister to “recognise FUOYE SUG as the authentic and democratically elected voice of the student body within the institution and uphold the findings of the Governing Council’s investigative panel as the legitimate basis for decision-making on all matters referenced”.
The students urged Alausa to “safeguard our university from unwarranted political interference, external manipulation, and media sensationalism aimed at undermining its leadership and institutional integrity. We choose the path of truth, accountability, and stability in the best interest of FUOYE and the Nigerian educational sector at large.”
The SUG stated that the sexual harassment allegation involving Folashade Adebayo and the VC has been thoroughly investigated by both the Nigeria Police Force and a duly constituted panel of the Governing Council. In both cases, Prof. Fasina was exonerated of all allegations, and the findings remain in the public domain.
“As student representatives, we have reviewed the reports and affirm our confidence in the integrity and transparency of the investigative processes.
“Contrary to the insinuations in the NANS petition, there has been no formal complaint lodged with the SUG or other official structures regarding any misconduct by Dr. Agbegbedia. To publicly smear an individual’s reputation without substantiated evidence undermines the principles of justice and fair hearing.
“It is misleading to say the VC promoted him. His promotion was already concluded and approved by the University Council before the issue of alleged sexual harassment came up. ”
The students, who said that the death of their colleague, Modupe, remains deeply tragic, kicked against politicising it, saying, “Comprehensive investigations were conducted and no evidence of administrative negligence was established”.
They added that “Under Prof. Fasina’s leadership, the university has witnessed commendable improvements in academic expansion, infrastructure development, staff welfare, and campus security. There exists no credible audit reports or findings suggesting financial impropriety on the part of the administration.
“At no point have members of the Students’ Union been subjected to harassment or intimidation by the university’s leadership. On the contrary, we have enjoyed unprecedented collaboration and institutional support, all in the interest of student advancement and harmonious governance,” the FUOYE SUG executives stated.
