The President of the Ife Development Board, Lawrence Awowoyin, has stated that the protest by indigenes of Ile-Ife over the appointment of a vice chancellor at the Obafemi Awolowo University was due to deep-seated concerns about indigenes being short-changed for appointments and promotion within the university community.

Awowoyin told Saturday PUNCH in a telephone interview on Friday that despite the presence of highly qualified indigenes working in the system, key and strategic management positions in the university had been deliberately denied the community.

He stressed that contrary to insinuations in the public, the community did not have any problems with recently appointed vice-chancellor, Prof. Adebayo Banire.

He also noted that the Ile-Ife community was not trying to impose their son on the university.

He, however, added that the community alleged that their son, a contestant for the position of the VC, was schemed out of the process. He therefore advised the Federal Government to institute an inquiry to ascertain the claim and to make sure that due process in the appointment of the new VC of the University.

Awowoyin, who is also the Obalufe of Ile-Ife, said apart from the subsisting disagreements over land between the community and university, “there has been issues of appointment; even promotion of the people working in that particular place has not been all that smooth. The key positions within the university; for instance, how many sons have even been DVC? That one is not like Vice Chancellorship, the heads of department and others.

“At a time, we asked them why our sons and daughters cannot be VC. They said because your sons and daughters don’t wait for their turn to qualify for it. This time we have a qualified son at the end he was not appointed. The question was raised, why is he not appointed, is it that he is not qualified or is it that he was schemed out?
“The belief in the community is that they schemed him out, and that is why the community is saying let the Federal Government or a third party look into the process of appointing the Vice-Chancellor, especially the last phase of the exercise.

“If it went through the proper process, the community will not say anything. I must emphasise this, the community is not saying, at all cost, we are saying, fairness and equity must prevail. The complaint of the community is not targeted at Professor Banire. He is our son, because Oyon left (migrated) from Ile-Ife, so there is no way we can fight him.”
However, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Olarenwaju Abiodun, said the aggrieved indigenes needed to have approached proper channels of complaints earlier than they had done. He noted that some civil measures have been taken by the indigenes to address their grievances.

“It is highly unfortunate that in this 21st century Nigeria, an aggrieved party resort to something fetish, barbaric and uncalled for. In civilised societies if you are aggrieved, there are different channels of passing across your grievances. It is not that you being to beat people, chase people away from duty post, or even placing sacrifices and charms in a citadel of intellectualism. Now fortunately they addressed a press conference yesterday which I believe is the normal thing to have been done.

“And from the feelers we have got that their “son” had written a petition, which is civilised, so one would have expected that such channels of decency should have been followed. So that their son was schemed out, you will ask the question, who interviewed their son? How did they know their son was schemed out?

“Did they have already made answers for their son or have they bet on the chances that their son would automatically become the Vice Chancellor?’’ Olarenwaju queried.

Jostoman:
The governor is really trying to win his second term by fire by force. Let's see whether inconclusive election will save him this time around.

BlueRayDick:
OAU is owned by the federal government. Anybody from the 774 local governments in Nigeria who has met the criteria set by the University can be selected to become the VC.

If u feel Ur son qualified having met all the criteria set by the Institution but was shemed out because of his indigenship status, then u write petition to the FG or institute an action in court contesting the whole process of appointment. That is how to do things, not disrupt the peace of a citadel of learning.

Let's even say Ur "son" was appointed, what do u think is in it for u indigenes? Will he throw admission open for indigenes children who don't meet the institution's cut-off marks? Or will he promote indigeneous staff ahead of none indigenes that merit such?

Sometimes u just but wonder how educated people will just rubbish all their education with partisan bias

oilykid:
But yorubas are one na and united..igbos are the only divided people in the Nigeria why ife indegenes protesting or are they no longer yorubas too

dollynnn:
He was schemed out?
When did the Office of the Vice-Chancellor turn to a traditional stool or a chieftaincy position where candidates are chosen by whims and caprices?
Their candidate occupied the 9th position on the list of suitable candidates for the office of the Vice-Chancellor. Now how can someone who was allegedly schemed out, fall to the 9th position? Such allegation is baseless and lacks substance.
I am sure their "son of the soil" ignited this stupid and baseless allegation of being schemed out, in the minds of his stark illiterate supporters who know nothing and do not know that they know nothing about how the Vice-Chancellor of a University is appointed.
Instead of the indigenes of Ile-Ife worrying about how they would develop their town and leave the trenches, they are misbehaving on a fact which is as clear as a crystal.
Okay, supposing their son was the Vice-Chancellor, what benefit or benefits would accrue to them? Free admission for all Ife indigenes or he would siphon the school's money and share it with them?
The next time they gather themselves under the guise of protesting at the school gate, they should all be arrested and charged with constituting themselves in a way likely to breach the peace of the public

DelTel:
Sad reality of our backwardness!

The so-called professor "son" is a disgrace to the education

I hope he is appointed as VC or any position in another University and we await to see indigenes of that University community to protest against him! How ludicrous!

Very sad to hear he even authored a petition after he reportedly came a distant 9th!

Can we have his name please

dollynnn:

Professor Adedoyin

Kog45:
If i have my way no.indigene will become a VC of federal university in his state...most federal universities now are state universities in reality....come see impunities at highest levels in these universities.

HeyHey:


Exactly ooo, this agitation implies some benefits they want to “kolobi “. They started building on some part of OAU land, the university sued them before they stopped. Without a “co-operative VC” they can’t continue those buildings and ife indigenes can not occupy it. They knew the land was for OAU before starting. the Prof Adedoyin they want who is an indigene Number 7 on the VC selection list, them wan force and enter because of land.

The VC of FUTA, is an ife man. If Akure people say he must comot, will it make any sense to them. So many education, so little wisdom