I Will Never Trade Peace For Fraud, No Matter The Petition–Uniosun VC

The Vice Chancellor of Osun State University, UNIOSUN, Professor Labode Popoola, has stated that his refusal to cease anti-graft war has been the major reason behind the persistent crises in the University.

He insisted that he will never trade peace for fraud no matter the petition, allegation or protest against his leadership.

Speaking at a press conference held at Osogbo campus of the University on Friday, Popoola said the same people that are making life difficult for the University are those that stoned former VC, Professor Okesina.

He vowed that he would rather resign and go instead of colliding with fraud. He maintained that he will not do anything that will spoil his reputation in the name of peace.

“I will not trade peace for fraud. I will rather resign and go. I’m not going to collide with fraud. They were spending about N11million to conduct exam before I resumed. We are spending less than N3million now.

Professor Popoola described the recent release by the National PRO of SSANU on UNIOSUN as “bias and inappropriateness of defence towards members of SSANU who are subsidiary members of Joint Action Committee, JAC.

Speaking on the agitation of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria University, SSANU, Popoola said “a former Secretary of NASU in the person of Mr Olugbeja was illegally awarded a Tetfund Grant for a conference in the USA but unfortunately, he absconded from the release. His monthly salaries were not stopped until due process was followed.

“NASU Chairman, Mr. Isaiah Fayemi, got himself entangled in a financial mess involving missing booklets of receipts of the University. All these occurred before my assumption of duties in November 2016. Management approved the report of the investigate panel that Mr. Fayemi and others involved in the receipt booklet scam should face the Staff Disciplinary Committee (SDC). Since that decision was taken, the university has not known peace.

The VC explained that Olugbeja was stepped down by the audit department and the stoppage of his payment necessitated an agitation from NASU thus culminated into physical assault on the former Ag. Head of Internal Audit by NASU.

He explained that the order of the governing council of the University that all non-academic staff members below level 13 should sign a register on daily resumption was also disobeyed on the order of JAC leadership.

He said the disobedience had led to disruption of activities in the University thus making the institution to lose N120million Tetfund special Grant and other losses.

The University VC said the JAC also refused to write apology as directed by the governing council and instead went ahead to disrupt the 2018 convocation by shutting down the university gates, thus preventing the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, former Governor Rauf Aregbesola and other eminent personalities from entering.

He noted that the crisis is not likely to end because he would not bend rules.