FUOYE VC berates staff over attack on journalists

The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Prof. Kayode Shoremekun, has condemned the attack on journalists during the protest staged by the Non -Academic Staff and Senior Staff Association (NASU) of the institution.

The school’s NASU, last Tuesday protested the alleged non-implementation of their promotions, hazard and Christmas allowances among other issues.During the protest, some journalists, who were invited to cover it were allegedly attacked by some of the workers before their leaders intervened. Shoremekun, who briefed newsmen on the unfortunate incident, in Ado Ekiti dissociated himself and the school’s management from the assault on newsmen. 

The vice chancellor who said he would never support any activities that could undermine the legitimate business of journalists, anywhere and at anytime, stated that some of the things that the workers were agitating for, contravened industrial relations.

“On the supposedly unpaid hazard allowance and what they called irregularities in promotions, as at last Friday, I met with the workers and we went over these issues, agreed on how to push the momentum forward with a view to ensuring that the university assumes its normal tempo,” he said. 

Shoremekun who maintained that the matter was still an internal affair as at last Friday, expressed shock that the union invited newsmen to cover their congress, adding that they had sinister motives in doing that.  

“We were supposed to meet again to review the issues and that they had to call a congress at the gate of the university, which I think runs clearly against a university’s idea, because if they want to hold a congress, there are lecture rooms, theatres, classrooms where such congresses can be held. But they decided against my counsel to still hold this particular meeting at the gate of the university. I think the intention was to give it a dramatic edge.”