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By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
One of the aspirants for the position of vice chancellor(VC) of Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU), Ile Ife, Professor Rufus Adedoyin, has petitioned the institution’s Governing Council over the appointment of Professor Adebayo Bamire, as the new VC for the varsity.
Recall that the Governing Council had on March 17 announced Bamire as the new VC. But the announcement didn’t go down well with Ife indigenes, who have been protesting the against the appointment.
The group of protesters who had been pushing for the appointment of an Ife indigene as the new vice chancellor, expressed the displeasure of the community over the decision of the institution’s Governing Council to appoint a non-indigene, despite their plea for an opportunity to produce vice chancellor for the first time in the history of the institution.
In his petition, Adedoyin, an Ife indigene and one of the 20 applicants for the VC position, said the exercise lacked transparency and riddled with manipulations.
Adedoyin, who is a lecturer in the Department of Medical Rehabilitation, asked the Governing Council to review of the entire appointment process, adding that he will approach a court of competent jurisdiction if the council fails to act on his petition.
Read that full petition below;
To: The Secretary/Chairman, GOVERNING COUNCIL,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
RE: 1. 2022 SELECTION OF VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, NIGERIA
2. A PETITION AGAINST THE PREJUDICIAL ACTIONS OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL CHAIRMAN (OWELLE OSCAR UDOR) AND OTHER SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
3. A PRE-ACTION NOTICE
BACKGROUND
I, Professor R.A. Adedoyin, of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, an aspirant of the 2022 selection exercise above, hereby submit a petition and a pre-action notice with reference to the selection exercise conducted by the Selection Committee of the Governing Council as above and the announcement made by the Chairman of the Council, Owelle Oscar Udoji, on Thursday, 17th day of March, 2022 in which Professor A.S. Bamire of the Department of Agricultural Economics was skimmed in as the most qualified of all the applicants.
I wish to notify and seek address against the irregular, inconsistent, biased and unjust selection criteria utilised by the Chairman and members of the committee. My premises are as follows:
1. That the exercise lacked transparency and was riddled with manipulations, particularly on the part of the Chairman of the Council with actual acquiesce on the part of the members;
2. That the criteria were deliberately in favour of Professor A.S. Bamire, using standards that were neither previously in use nor anticipated by the applicants;
3. That some criteria were deliberately scored more than once for some candidates with a view to manipulating the process;
4. That I can boldly say that I hold excellent credentials in terms of academic visibility, grant attraction, human capital development i.e. doctoral and other supervisions, national and community services, and social responsibilities to the university community;
5. That, in spite of intimidation during the interview session in which issues and matters extraneous to Vice Chancellor’s responsibilities were maliciously put to me, I believe I was able to rise up excellently to the occasion;
6. That the Vice Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogungbero Ogunbodede, had consistently profiled me with prejudicial statements in meetings and all available opportunities including in council meetings, as an Ife man whose candidature should be at all cost for reason best known to him; and
7. That the Chairman of the Council and the committee members were biased, manipulative, preferential and malicious against my candidacy.
PRAYERS
For the above-mentioned grounds and many more damning pieces of information to be presented when called upon. I hereby call for an investigation and review of the entire appointment process by the appropriate and independent authorities other than the compromised Selection Committee as presently constituted.
PRE-ACTION NOTICE
This also serves as a pre-action notice to approach a court of competent jurisdiction should appropriate administrative remedies and justice are denied.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Rufus A. Adedoyin
CC: The visitor (The President and Commander-in-Chief of Federal Republic of Nigeria)
Minister of Education, Abuja
The Chancellor (Alhaji (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar, (The Etsu Nupe & Emir of Bida)