Tension has continued to mount at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) as members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) staged a peaceful protest on Monday, demanding the immediate removal of the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina. The protesting workers accused the Vice Chancellor of alleged victimisation, intimidation, and abuse of power against staff members, including union leaders.
The demonstration, which took place within the university premises, saw SSANU members chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards calling on the Federal Government to intervene in what they described as “incessant persecution” of staff by the university administration. The workers claimed that several union members had been unfairly treated and that the situation reached a breaking point following the alleged detention of some union executives by the police.
According to reports, the detained union members, including a nursing mother, were invited by the police in response to a petition reportedly filed by the Chief Security Officer of the university at the alleged instruction of the Vice Chancellor. The union alleged that the affected members were “detained half-naked” in the cell, an act they described as inhumane and unacceptable.
Speaking during the protest, the Ekiti State Chairman of SSANU, Comrade Azeez Aguda, accused the Vice Chancellor of deliberately creating a hostile working environment. He claimed that Professor Fasina had “turned the institution into a personal empire” where staff members were punished for expressing dissenting opinions. Aguda maintained that the latest action by the police was the climax of a long pattern of harassment and intimidation of union members.
“Some of our leaders were detained half-naked, including a nursing mother, just because they were invited to respond to a petition written by the Chief Security Officer on the instruction of the Vice Chancellor. This act is barbaric and unacceptable. We are calling on the Federal Government to immediately remove Professor Fasina to restore peace to FUOYE,” Aguda stated.
The SSANU chairman further accused the university’s management of stifling workers’ rights and disregarding the principles of fair representation and dialogue. He emphasized that the association would continue its protest until justice was served and the Federal Government intervened in the ongoing crisis. “We cannot continue to work in fear. The university should be a place of knowledge and fairness, not oppression,” he added.
However, in a swift response, the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, dismissed the allegations as “baseless and laughable.” He explained that the detained union leaders were not arrested on the orders of the Vice Chancellor but were invited by the police following their unruly conduct during a meeting convened by the Chairman of the Governing Council to address internal disputes.
Dr. Balogun clarified that the police acted within their authority and detained the individuals based on their behaviour at the station, not under any directive from the university management. “It is important to state that Professor Fasina had no hand in their detention. The police only carried out their lawful duty after the union leaders became unruly during a meeting and at the station,” he said.
He described the union’s claims of persecution as politically motivated attempts to tarnish the image of the Vice Chancellor, adding that Professor Fasina remains focused on academic and infrastructural development at FUOYE. “The Vice Chancellor is not a politician and has been too busy to engage in unnecessary drama. His commitment has always been to build a university that stands out for academic excellence,” Balogun stated.
The ongoing dispute has drawn attention from within and outside the university community, with calls for the Federal Ministry of Education and the Governing Council to mediate and restore industrial harmony. As tensions persist, students and other staff members are urging both sides to embrace dialogue and prevent further disruption to academic and administrative activities at the institution.
