Gbenro Adesina
The newly inaugurated Governing Council of the University of Ibadan (UI), headed by an astitute politician and the former Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, has commenced afresh the process of electing the 13th Vice Chancellor of the nation’s Premier University, asking interested candidates in the position to submit applications to the Registrar, within six weeks.
The post became vacant on Tuesday December 1, 2020 and it could not be filled as a result of the crisis that characterised the processes of the appointment.
According to a Special release dated Thursday July 8, 2021, signed by the institution’s Registrar, Olubunmi O. Faluyi and titled, “Appointment of Vice Chancellor”, each candidate within or outside the University, is to submit 50 copies of applications and the applications are to be accompanied by 50 copies of the candidate’s curriculum vitae duly signed and dated.
It would be recalled that about seven months to the expiration of the tenure of the 12th Vice Chancellor, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, the institution’s Registrar commenced the process for the appointment of the 13th VC on Tuesday 19 May, 2020, by publishing advertisements in the school bulletin and three national newspapers asking interested candidates to file applications.
Consequently, 18 aspirants submitted applications for the position. The 18 aspirants were. Femi MIMIKO, Hassan Ajisafe SALIU, Babatunde Lawal SALAKO, Oladele, Olatunde LAYIWOLA, Raheem Adebayo LAWAL, Clement Olusegun Olaniran KOLAWOLE, Emiola Oluwabunmi OLAPADE-OLAOPA, Olatunde Rom KALILU, Tal-hatu Kolapo HAMZAT, Hakeem FAWEHINMI, Ebenezer Olatunde FAROMBI, Temitope Oluwagbenga ALONGE, Adeyinka Abideen ADERINTO, Olusegun George ADEMOWO, Babatunde Lateef ADELEKE, Kayode Oyebode ADEBOWALE, Aderemi RAJI-OYELADE, Anthony Kayode ONIFADE.
On Thursday September 17, 2020, the aspirants, except the ex-Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Professor Femi Mimiko, participated in the UI Community Forum, where the aspirants interacted with the members of the community and spoke about what they intended to do for the university, if allowed to serve in the capacity of Vice Chancellor.
After the interaction, the candidates appeared before the institution’s Governing Council on Tuesday October 27, 2020, for interview and at the end of the exercise, six candidates were shortlisted for the position. The shortlisted candidates were: Professors Babatunde Lawal SALAKO, Femi MIMIKO, Ebenezer Olatunde FAROMBI, Kayode Oyebode ADEBOWALE, Adeyinka Abideen ADERINTO and Olusegun George ADEMOWO.
The process, which was characterised with dirty politics, campaign of calumny, smearing of names, suspicions, and writing of series of petitions of various allegations, took a dangerous turn on Wednesday October 27, 2020, as the non-academic staff led by Wale Akinremi, the institution’s former Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), staged a violent protest and disrupted the Selection Board Meeting convoked to appoint a new Vice Chancellor for the University.
The Akinremi-led staff demanded that two of the contestants: Professor Kayode Adebowale, the institution Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and Professor Olufemi Mimiko, former Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, be disqualified from the contest.
The Union threatened that if any of the two candidates emerged as the institution’s VC, there would not be peace in the University.
In the midst of the hullabaloo, the Federal Government suspended the process of appointment of the institution’s Vice Chancellor indefinitely and this paved way for the emergence of the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Professor Adebola Babatunde Ekanola, from Philosophy, as the Acting Vice Chancellor, for the period of six. Within the six months, all the efforts made by Ekanola to complete the processes of appointing the VC were frustrated by the Federal Government through the National University Commission (NUC), because the government would want a new governing council to oversee the process. At the expiration of Ekanola’s first tenure, he was re-appointed for another six months.
On July 2, 2021, the newly constituted Governing Council announced the cancellation of the previous exercise for the appointment of the institution’s 13th Vice Chancellor.
This was contained in a Special Release dated July 2, 2021 and signed by the Registrar/Secretary to the Council, Olubunmi O. Faluyi.
According to the release titled, “Fresh process for the appointment of substantive Vice Chancellor”, the entire process is to start afresh and the position of the Vice Chancellor would be re-advertised immediately.
The release reads in part:
“This is to inform the University community and the general public that, at its meeting on Friday, 02 July, 2021 the Governing Council considered, among other things, the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor for the University.
“Council decided to cancel the previous exercise and start the entire process afresh. Consequently, Council directed that the position of the Vice-Chancellor be re-advertised immediately”.
