EKSU SACK OF 2016 EMPLOYEES: Fayemi and Religious Intolerance

EKSU SACK OF 2016 EMPLOYEES: Fayemi and Religious Intolerance

By the end of 2015 and at the expiration of the tenure of Professor Aina, the then Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, there was the need to appoint another substantive VC and Professor Oye Bandele was appointed after a rigorous and fair process.

There were many insinuations about his choice, many said he was close to the then governor, Dr Ayo Fayose. There was another angle that he was chosen because he is a member of the Deeper Life Christian Church where the wife of the Governor was an adherent.

It is on record today that he was the preferred candidate based on his performance in the interview stages.

Fast forward to October 2018, immediately after the Change of Government headed by governor Kayode Fayemi, the VC was suspended based on spurious and unsubstantiated allegations and petitions against him. These allegations were based on his duties which he is empowered to carry out.

His MAIN allegation was that in the recruitment exercise carried out by the former VC, majority were Depper Life Bible Church members. He was sacked in February 2019 and an acting VC replaced him.

The Governor approved the appointment of Prof. Eddy Olanipekun in August 2019. The selling points were that he is a Catholic and a staunch APC member.

The Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi instituted a Panel to investigate the activities of the University. The main focus of this panel was the Staff Audit which involved the controversial mandatory presentation of the Primary Six certificates by all the staff of the university.

In a release by the University Public Relations Officer, the Governing Council noted specifically among other findings in the report of the External Staff Auditors that:

–Over 600 workers were employed irregularly against university regulations within the period 2016-2018 thereby causing a major personnel misalignment and skyrocketing of the university wage bill by about 100% within 2 years.

The situation was so bad in the university that it was the monthly contributions of members of staff who belong to some Cooperative, Thrift and Credit Societies in the university that were partly and on monthly basis used by the then university administration to pay the salaries of those that were irregularly employed and who interestingly refused to join any Cooperatives.

–The university management led by Prof. Eddy Olanipekun was mandated compulsorily by the Governing Council to disengage immediately the staff employed in 2016-2018.

A total of 1173 staff of the university were disengaged immediately.

It is therefore on record today that ONLY the staff employed in 2016 were disengaged. The justification of the university management was that there was no approval to employ them.

A Committee was inaugurated by the Governing Council headed by the VC to look at the complaints of the disengaged staff after it was discovered there were errors and misrepresentation of facts in the Staff Audit Report. The 2016 staff presented themselves with high hopes for the committee.

On January 7, 2020, the University Governing Council approved the reinstatement of some disengaged workers as listed blow.

1173 Staff were disengaged on December 5th, 2019

355 Staff were reinstated

497 staff were not recommended for reinstatement

52 staff’s cases not concluded

15 staff retired

254 staff didn’t appeal

It is on record that no staff employed in 2016 was reinstated.

It is on record that these set of staff were:

1. Legally employed by the University in 2016
2. Their employment was approved by the Governing Council
3. Their employment was regularised after 6 months
4. Their employment was confirmed after 2 years
5. They have received promotion letters
6. They are Ekiti State indigines
7. They are qualified for the job
8. They are contributors to the various Cooperative Societies in the university
9. They are not certificate or age forgers.

The VC’s utterances and body language indicated their offences as

1. The former VC is a member of the Deeper Life Christian Church and that majority employed in 2016 are his church members, this has been proven to be false.
2. Majority of these employees are PDP members, this has been proven to be false.
3. The former VC conducted irregular employment, this cannot be said to be true because he had the power and authority to employ.

It should be noted that registers have been opened in all the Catholic Cathedrals in Ekiti State for the submission of applicants’ name for employment into EKSU, what becomes the fate of these people if tomorrow a CAC member takes over the mantle of leadership in the University?

Enough said, Fayemi should not divide us in Ekiti by his religious insensitivity.