Osun State government, on Tuesday warned members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Osun State University (UNIOSUN) branch against creating what it termed needless tension over the tenure of the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Clement Odunayo Adebooye.

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the recent extension of tenure of Adebooye, which was as a result of an amendment to the law establishing UNIOSUN by the Osun State House of Assembly, followed due process and diligence.

The statement maintained that no union or association had the right to dictate to the Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who is also the Visitor of UNIOSUN on the governance and management of the university.

According to the statement, “it is also pertinent to state that the Governing Council remains the appropriate statutory organ for matters within its jurisdiction, just as the Visitor exercises the powers assigned to that office by the enabling framework of the University. Staff unions are important stakeholders, but they are not substitutes for these statutory organs.

“The Governor consequently urges all members of the University community to refrain from actions, statements or mobilisations capable of creating needless tension in an institution that has remained focused on its core mandates of teaching, research, innovation and community service.

While contending that the governor respects the right of every recognised staff union of the institution to express its views on matters concerning the welfare and administration of UNIOSUN, the statement clarified that”it is important to state, for the avoidance of doubt, that the university is regulated by law and by the clearly defined statutory responsibilities of the Visitor, the Governing Council and other organs of the University.

The statement further added that “ASUU, as a trade union, representing academic staff, has an important role to play in promoting the welfare and professional interests of its members.

“However, that role does not confer upon the union the authority to determine, direct or substitute its judgment for the statutory responsibilities vested by law in the Visitor, the Governing Council or the Osun State House of Assembly.

“The Government therefore considers it necessary to correct the impression that the decision concerning the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure was taken arbitrarily or outside the framework of due process.

“Un the first place, the current tenure of the Vice Chancellor subsists until January 2027, so the government has not taken any retroactive decision with respect to the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor.

“The decision by His Excellency, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, as Visitor to Osun State University, must be understood within the context of the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of the Visitor and the subsequent legislative intervention by the Osun State House of Assembly.

“Following the Visitor’s decision, the State Legislature commenced the process of amending the Osun State University Establishment Law to provide the necessary statutory framework for the tenure extension. The amendment was subsequently considered and passed by the House of Assembly after legislative consideration of the relevant provisions, “the statement concluded.