FUOYE boils as students, group demand end to corruption, call for removal of VC, governing Council

Femi Fabunmi

Hundreds of young people, led by members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and the Southern Nigeria Youth Congress (SNYC), protested on Monday at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).

They accused the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina, of abusing his office.

The protesters carried placards with messages such as “Professor Fasina must go,” “Stop the rot in FUOYE,” and “FUOYE must be rescued now.”

Speaking to journalists, the NYCN Chairman in Ekiti State, Comrade Segun Bankole, accused the Vice-Chancellor and the Chairman of the Governing Council, Senator Ndoma-Egba, of turning the university into a place of corruption and poor leadership.

He said the groups had sent a petition to President Bola Tinubu and copied anti-corruption agencies, claiming the university had been taken over by a “cabal” using it for personal gain.

Bankole alleged that the Pro-Chancellor violated government orders by moving Council meetings and the Vice-Chancellorship selection process to Abuja, wasting millions of naira on travel and allowances.

He also said contracts were being awarded without due process and that staff and students’ welfare had been neglected.

He further complained that Ekiti indigenes were being sidelined in employment, with many hired only as contract staff earning low wages.

The SNYC Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Aladejare, criticized the approval of ₦128 million for the Vice-Chancellor’s research leave, calling it “unheard of in academic history.”

He also alleged that top university officials had acquired properties worth over ₦700 million through questionable means.
Aladejare described the ongoing process to select a new Vice-Chancellor as a

“predetermined exercise” designed to install a loyal candidate who would continue the alleged corruption.

The protesters called for:
The suspension of Professor Fasina pending investigation

The removal of Senator Ndoma-Egba as Pro-Chancellor and Council Chairman
The suspension of the current Vice-Chancellorship selection process
An independent panel to probe allegations of sexual harassment on campus

A forensic audit of the university’s finances and property acquisitions since 2021

The return of Council meetings to the FUOYE campus

Legal protection for whistleblowers
They urged President Tinubu to intervene quickly to prevent what they described as the “total collapse” of the institution.