FUOYE students in peaceful protest over extortion by Acting Dean
The students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), yesterday blocked the main gate of the institution to protest against the alleged extortion by one of the lecturers in the institution,
identified as Dr Dosu Malomo.
The students were also requesting that the institution’s authorities set in progress machinery that would preside over the conduct of elections into its Students’ Union Government (SUG).
They said until the SUG was inaugurated, they would not sit for their examinations. The university was yet to fix the date for their examinations.
The protesting students also asked the management of the institution to remove the external security personnel on campus as the strike that was started by its Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) is off.
The Acting-Dean, Students’ Affairs of the institution, Malomo, was allegedly accused of collecting N500 each from some students under the pretext that he was going to take them tutorial without issuing
receipts.
The blocking of the main gate of the institution by the protesters stopped the members of staff from going about normal business in the campus.
Though it was a peaceful protest, the students requested for the immediate dismissal of Malomo.
They also called for the immediate restoration and extension of the tenure of the out-going Dean, Students’ Affairs, Dr. Olugbenga Adeyemi.
The students said they preferred Adeyemi’s leadership to that of the acting dean.
Victor Akinnibosun, the Speaker Students’ Representative Council, who spoke on behalf of the students, said there would not be 2016/2017 second semester examinations until the elected members of students’ union government were inducted.
The protesters, however, shortly after a brief meeting between the Students Representative Council and the management of the university the barriers were removed.
Akinnibosun and Dr Olugbenga Adeyemi briefed the students jointly on the resolutions reached from the meeting. They said they agreed to extend Adeyemi’s tenure as Dean, Students Affairs till the end of
2017.
They also promised to refund the alleged N500 collected from some students for tutorials to the affected students from Tuesday, July 25, and conduct the SUG election in the next three weeks.
Dr Adeyemi told those protesting to return to their hostels and homes in peace and come back for normal lectures on Tuesday.
Adeyemi said, “Let me tell you (students) that in the last one and half years that I have occupied the position of the Dean Students’ Affairs, I have been carrying out my legitimate duties as directed by
the VC.”
“I have no issues with Prof. Kayode Soremekun as well as the person of Dr Malomo, the VC has the right to appoint anybody, any time into any position.”
“I want to tell you that the VC gave approval for me to visit six universities in the country to study them for free, fair and credible election as part of processes for the SUG election in FUOYE.”
“Parts of the resolutions reached this morning with the management on your behalf were that SUG election will hold in the next three weeks,” Dr Adeyemi said.
Mr. Godfrey Bakji, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, said that the management was ready to meet with the demands of the protesters.
The gate to the institution was later opened for business of the day around noon.
