Tight security as UI Senate meets over new Vice Chancellor

There was tight security at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan (UI), yesterday, as the Senate of the university met to elect its representatives to the selection panel of the 13th Vice-Chancellor (VC).
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The beefing up of the security might not be unconnected with the October 28, 2020 experience.

However, four members of the Governing Council of the university staged a walk-out at the meeting.

The members included two external members appointed by the Federal Government, Dr. Jaju Muhammad, and Prof. Mande Samaila, and two internal members of the council, Profs Ademola Aremu, and Abel Olorunnisola.

They walked out after about five and a half hours that the meeting had commenced.
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It was gathered that the members walked out after efforts to ensure that the Council maintain absolute control and act according to the letter from the Federal Government through the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Federal Ministry of Education, which asked the Council to review the entire process, including re-inviting shortlisted 18 candidates for the VC position, failed.

It was gathered that the Council was discussing the validity of the election being conducted on Wednesday despite the instruction by the Federal Ministry of Education that the Council should take charge.”

Meanwhile, out of the nine professors that participated in the electronically-conducted one, which was nullified, only the trio of Peter Olapegba, Ezekiel Ayoola and Moshood Akinsola showed up for yesterday’s manually-conducted one.

Olapegba scored 302, Ayoola scored 299 while Akinsola scored 17 votes.
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In the electronically conducted one, which was nullified, the trio scored 362, 352, and 20 votes respectively.

Those who withdrew from the race are Profs Ganiyu Arinola, Ademola Dasylva, Victor Adetimirin, Oyesoji Aremu, Adeoji Fasanmade, and Opeyemi Ajewole.

While some cited shot notice, others challenged the credibility and legality of the meeting.

The union leaders said they only withdrew their members from the meeting since they were on strike.

Speaking with The Guardian, Chairman of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Mr. Malachy Etim, said: “We went there to withdraw our members since we are on strike. It should purely be an academic meeting and our members should not participate.”

The university chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Mr. Wale Akinremi, corroborated the NASU chairman statement.
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