Hundreds of protesters led by members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and the Southern Nigeria Youth Congress (SNYC) on Monday staged a protest at the Federal University,Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) over allegations of abuse of office against the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina.
The demonstrators, who stormed the university campus in large numbers, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Professor Fasina must go,” “Stop the rot in FUOYE,” “FUOYE must be rescued now,” and “Ndoma-Egba must not impose a successor.”
Addressing journalists during the mass protest, the NYCN Chairman, Ekiti chapter, Comrade Segun Bankole, alleged the Chairman of university’s Governing Council, Senator Ndoma-Egba, and the Vice-Chancellor had turned the university into a theatre of corruption, impunity and moral decay.
Bankole, who said that the groups had submitted a petition to President Bola Tinubu and copied anti-corruption and regulatory agencies, said the university had been “hijacked by a cabal” that had weaponised governance for personal enrichment.
Bankole accused the Pro-Chancellor of flouting ministerial directives by moving all Council meetings and the ongoing Vice-Chancellorship selection process to Abuja, a move he claimed had resulted in the waste of millions of naira on travels and allowances.
He accused the Governing Council of turning the institution into a “feeding trough, claiming that university officials had converted the university’s resources into personal wealth while neglecting academic and infrastructural growth and development.
Bankole claimed that contracts were being awarded without due process, financial transactions were shrouded in secrecy and the welfare of staff and students had been relegated to the background.
The NYCN chairman also lamented the marginalisation of Ekiti indigenes in the institution’s workforce, alleging that many were only engaged as contract staff on meagre stipends.
The Ekiti Chairman of SNYC, Comr. Emmanuel Aladejare, questioned the approval of N128 million for a research leave for the Vice-Chancellor, describing it as a “gross aberration, misnomer and unheard of in academic history”.
Aladejare alleged suspicious property acquisitions worth over N700m by top university officials, saying the institution has been reduced to a breeding ground for financial recklessness, nepotism and administrative impunity with the council allegedly prioritising self-interest over transparency and accountability.
Aladejare also condemned the ongoing Vice-Chancellorship selection process, describing it as a predetermined exercise structured to produce a successor who would continue cycle of corruption and impunity that has plagued the institution.
He alleged that the timetable released by the Governing Council was deliberately compressed to prevent proper scrutiny of applicants and ensure the emergence of a candidate loyal to the outgoing management.
The protesters demanded the immediate suspension of Professor Fasina pending investigation, the removal of Senator Ndoma-Egba as Pro-Chancellor and Council Chairman, and the suspension of the current selection process for a new Vice-Chancellor.
They also called for the constitution of an independent, non-partisan panel to probe allegations of sexual harassment on campus and ensure justice for victims.
Other demands include: establishment of a neutral interim governing council to restore lawful governance, a full forensic audit of FUOYE’s finances, property acquisitions and Council expenditures since 2021, immediate return of Council activities to the FUOYE campus and legal protection for whistleblowers; as well as anti-corruption advocates within the university community.
They urged Tinubu to take decisive action, insisting that only firm, transparent and immediate intervention can prevent the total collapse of FUOYE.
