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•Crisis creates faction on campus, divide staff
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, has been engulfed in leadership crisis that has paralyzed academic activities with no end in sight. The problem between the state government and the leadership of the institution has exposed the polytechnic to the world and it is being discussed everywhere.
Former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola appointed Dr. Tajudeen Odetayo as the Rector of the polytechnic but Governor Ademola Adeleke wielded his power upon assumption of office and reversed all the appointments made by Oyetola after the July 16, 2022 governorship election, a sword that caught Odetayo and others.
In apparent consideration of the competency of Odetayo, the state government in a letter by the Head of Service, Mr. Ayanleye Aina, dated Friday 10th March announced the appointment of Odetayo as the sixth substantive rector of the polytechnic. Staff and students rejoiced for the reinstatement.
However, four months after the appointment, Governor Adeleke announced his suspension for alleged misappropriation of funds. A letter dated July 11th, 2023 and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, M. K. Jimoh, on Monday, 24th July, directed Odetayo to proceed on suspension to allow investigation into the allegation against him and directed Alabi Adeyemi to take over in an acting capacity.
The suspension of Odetayo generated ripples as students and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) trooped out in protest against the action of the government and shut the polytechnic, thus disrupting ongoing examination.
ASUP kicks
The ASUP Chairman, Fatai Afolabi, maintained that imposition of Adeyemi as the acting rector cannot work, not only because he is not qualified to hold the position, but allowing somebody who did not win the contest for the position of deputy rector to serve as Rector would be an ‘aberration and bad precedence.’
“The governor appointed someone who is not qualified as the acting rector of the institution. The person that the governor appointed contested for the post of deputy rector and he lost out. We have a deputy rector on the ground who should replace him if the rector is removed, that is what the guidelines say, and in the absence of the deputy rector, the most senior chief lecturer will be appointed as acting rector.
“The person that was appointed in ranking among the chief Lecturer, he is not ranked from one to fifty. The only thing that qualifies him is that he is from Ede, the hometown of the governor. The governor is nepotistic with appointments and dealings in Iree Poly. The governor wants to put Ede indigenes everywhere in the school which is not possible. Is it only Ede who voted for him? Everybody voted for him,” ASUP chairman said.
ASUP divided
While the crisis was on, the acting Registrar of the polytechnic, Abiodun Oloyede, on August 14th, 2023 issued a no work, no pay memo, saying “sequel to the government directive that the institution should be reopened fully on Monday, August 24th, 2023, the Chairman, Governing Council of the institution, Diran Ayanbeku, has directed that all staff of the institution should report unfailingly to commence the suspended the part-time first-semester examination immediately. As a result of this, the chairman directed that attendance registers should be opened in the personnel unit of the institution registry for the staff to indicate their attendance daily.”
This memo divided the ASUP as some of them backed out of the struggle to reinstate Odetayo while others continued the struggle. Some ASUP members joined Adeyemi and agreed to continue academic activities.
However, the crisis took a new twist on September 7th, 2023 when Odetayo stormed the polytechnic with an injunction secured from the Industrial Court where the state government was ordered to maintain a status quo and allow Odetayo to remain in office pending the determination of the suit.
Odetayo presented the injunction of the industrial court to those who wanted to prevent him from entering the rector’s office and he succeeded with his loyalists from academic and non-academic staff. A few minutes later, Adeyemi along with his ASUP faction arrived at the school and converged inside a hall on the campus.
Shortly after the convergence of the faction, the state government ordered the immediate closure of the polytechnic with the account frozen immediately. A statement by the Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, directed the students to proceed on a two-week break with immediate effect.
“The immediate break is a necessary action to maintain peace in the institution following the forceful return of the suspended Rector, Dr. T.A. Odetayo. The general public should also note that school accounts have been frozen with immediate effect, and it is imperative that everyone cooperates fully and adheres to these directives,” Eluwole said.
While Odetayo remains a rector in line with the court injunction, Adeyemi maintained that he remains the acting rector of the institution based on the directive of the state government who he believes has the authority to appoint a rector.
