Prosecute OAU ex-VCs, ASUU tells EFCC

FEMI MAKINDE

The Academic Staff Union of Universities and the  Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to  prosecute two  past  vice chancellors of the university, Prof. Mike Faborode and Prof. Bamitale Omole, over alleged financial mismanagement.

The Chairman of ASUU, OAU branch, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, and the SSANU chairman, Mr. Ademola Oketunde, said this in separate interviews with our correspondent in Osogbo on Saturday.

The ASUU chairman said the union was not against the prosecution of the former Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Anthony Elujoba, but that the union frowned at selective prosecution of those accused of corruption.

He noted that the union, workers and students of the university were surprised that while the EFCC was quick to act on the petition written against Elujoba, the agency had not acted on petitions written against Omole.

Sunmonu said, “What we are saying is that there should be no selective prosecution, all alleged financial mismanagement should be investigated and those found culpable should be brought to book.

“About two weeks ago, one of the committees of the House of Representatives came to the campus and discovered that N4.603bn was missing from the personnel account of the university. It was alleged that the money was missing between 2008 and 2012; this covers the period when Faborode and Omole were vice chancellors.

“We are not interested in selective prosecution; all those accused should be prosecuted and anybody found guilty should be brought to book. There shouldn’t be any sacred cow. This will send signal to us as workers or anyone aspiring to be a VC that there can’t be an infraction and you will go scot-free.”

The SSANU chairman added that the union and the Non-Academic Staff Union had petitions against Omole and the bursar of the university, Mrs. Aderonke Akeredolu, before the EFCC but the agency had not acted on them.

While exonerating Elujoba, who is standing trail on alleged stealing, the SSANU boss stated that Elujoba paid the money he was accused of disbursing to workers of the university when there was no governing council in place.

According to Sunmonu, the council has since given an approval for the payment which exonerated the former acting vice chancellor of any offence due to the autonomy which he said universities enjoyed.

Oketunde alleged that petitions against Omole submitted to the Ibadan office of the EFCC were being suppressed because of his relations working at the agency.

He vowed that the union would write a reminder on the petitions and if nothing was done would seek the intervention of the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.

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Prosecute OAU ex-VCs, ASUU tells EFCC

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