The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife have been told to shutdown campus following the series of demonstrations embarked upon by aggrieved indigenes of Ile-Ife over the appointment of a non-indigene of the town, Prof. Adebayo Bamire as the 12th Vice-Chancellor of the institution.
The students of the institution said their lives are no longer safe over the invasion.
DAILY GIST gathered that the indigenes had commenced their protest last week Friday after the university authorities announced Bamire as the new VC elect out of the sixteen candidates that were interviewed for the position.
An indigene of Ile-Ife who also contested the office was said to have come 9th in the race. Bamire is said to hail from Oyan town, in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State.
On Monday, the indigenes regrouped as early as 7:00am at the campus gates and locked them. They prevented workers and students from entering the campus neither did they allow anyone to go out. It was gathered that the disenchanted indigenes had warned commercial drivers and motorcyclists not to operate in the town.
To this end, there was a total vehicular restriction as areas such as Sabo, Lagere that lead to OAU were blocked.
Traders within and along all the roads leading to the campus were not allow to display their wares. The gate leading to the popular Sabo market was shut down while no trader was allowed to sell. The campus and its environment were desolated after students and workers were turned back.
Some of protesters threatened to continue their demonstration until an indigene of the university host community is announced the Vice-Chancellor.
Following the development, the Student Union of the university called on the management to shut the campus if the crisis is not brought under control within the next three days.
The Union said students’ lives are no longer safe and that some of them were being beaten and assaulted by the protesters.
The union made this known in a statement issued and signed by the SU President, Olayiwola Folahan Festus, the Public Relations Officer, Ogunperi Taofeek Olalekan, and Secretary General, Odewale Samuel Damilare
It reads in part, “the union has met with the management of the university to ensure that the situation is arrested, as lives of union members are threatened.
“It is obvious that, should the current situation endure, our members will continue to bear the brunts of this crisis.
The union strongly condemns the barbaric acts perpetuated by the protesters, including but not only limited to beating and harassing members of our Union. Indeed, intellectualism reflects poorly on this group of people who claim to be fighting for a right in an academic setting as ours but enjoy practicing beastly skills on our Union members.”
“Based on the aforementioned, the Union has demanded that the Management of the University that if the protests do not subside in 72hours, should close the University until the crisis is over.
”Informing this decision is also the fact that the protesters are scaling up their affront on our University community and its immediate community where a large number of our members live.”
“Without proactive measures to address this crisis, it is not impossible that the protesters will invade the campus at anytime and further inconvenience the University community such that Union members suffer.”
MANAGEMENT REACTS
In a statement forwarded to DAILY GIST by the University spokesperson, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, the management said Ife indigenes invade campus with charms and fetish objects.
The statement reads; ”Determined to forcefully install an Ile Ife indigene as the next Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, some indigenes of Ile – Ife have invaded the campus of the University with charms and other fetish objects, having closed its two major gates thereby preventing staff, students, and other stakeholders from either coming into or leaving the University.
The protests by the Ife indigenes started last Thursday, 17th March, 2022 shortly after the University Governing Council, led by its Chairman, Owelle Oscar Udoji, announced a professor of Agricultural Economics, Professor Adebayo Simeon BAMIRE, as the 12th substantive Vice-Chancellor.
The protesters, who initially blocked the main gate of the University on the first day and threatened staff and students to stay away from campus, became very violent the second day as they beat up workers, particularly the staff of the Security Unit, and vandalized their office at the Main Gate. Some of the security staff had to be taken to the University’s Health Centre for treatment.
Today, Monday, 21st March 2022, things took more dangerous dimensions as the indigenes beat up some OAU students who they met at the gate, blocked the two major gates as early as 6: 00 am, coming into the campus with charms, and other fetish items. They assembled at the motion ground of the University Secretariat, dressed in all-white spiritual traditional attire, chanting incantations while performing rituals.
A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board shortlisted sixteen (16) candidates for the interaction for the post of Vice-Chancellor and the
candidates whose names were arranged in alphabetical order, were called in for interaction and each was scored by each member of the Selection Board. The score sheets of each Assessor for individual candidates were dropped into an envelope and sealed, with the signature of the Chairman of Council on each one.
At the end of the interaction, the sealed envelopes were opened one after the other and announced to all the members. The score sheets were thereafter passed around for sighting. Then, the
scores of the candidates were collated with Microsoft Excel and ranked from the highest to the lowest. The candidate with the highest score was eventually announced as the Vice Chancellor by the Governing Council.”
”For the avoidance of doubt, no member of the Board had foreknowledge of each candidate’s score before the final collation at the end of the interaction.”
The University is aware of the false presentation of the alphabetical arrangement of the applicants as the authentic list of applicants’ performance where unfounded allegations have been made of changing the “leading” candidate.
The University hereby affirms that due processes were followed and merit was the basis for the appointment of the new Vice-Chancellor.”
The University Management implores the leadership of Ile- Ife to please call these protesters to order so that the cordial relationship, which has been in existence, between the University and the Ile- Ife communities is not jeopardised.”
