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By Ayo Alonge
Miffed by the spate of sexual assaults in tertiary institutions in the country, the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof Eddy Olanipekun, reveals to The Education Report that hi administration has declared zero tolerance on social vices ranging from sexual assaults to admission and employment racketeering.
In this interview, the former ASUU chairman also fielded questions bothering on subventions, infrastructure, staff welfare, alumni and unionism.
To what would you attribute the development observed in the university in the area of infrastructure in recent times?
I will first commend my predecessors in office, most especially Prof Dipo Kolawale, Prof Aina, Prof Bandele, and the rest, for the tremendous job in transforming the university to what it is today. They have ensured that buildings here, which were merely bungalows, are now skyscrapers, more or less. I also thank the Federal Government for the various intervention funds, especially through the NEEDS Assessment Funds which has contributed immensely to infrastructure. I will thank the visitor to EKSU, Governor Kayode Fayemi, who made it possible for the school to be upgraded. We in the university never enjoyed during the four years he left the office and now that he is back, he has approved almost half a billion naira as a grant for the university.
How has the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) been instrumental to the growth of EKSU?
Honestly, I would say that this university has been better off in all ramifications based on the intervention made by TETFund and the special projects that it has helped to spring up, like School of Post Graduates building, the Faculty of Management Sciences, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Sciences which is now the biggest on campus. Those buildings were made possible courtesy of TETFund and the NEEDS Assessment Funds.
What about in the areas of academics and human resource development?
We have achieved such remarkable things in the area of having more professors. Some of them are alumni and there is virtually no department that you won’t find at least a professor. In some departments, you find close to five professors. This was never the case, a while ago. We have highly skilled and well-experienced staff in terms of human resources. Then, in terms of programmes, as I speak to you, we now have new programmes. Ten years ago, we didn’t have MBBS, Anatomy, Physiology and the rest. A few months ago, we have been able to graduate the first set of medical doctors. That tells you that the medical course is fully on course. There are other new programmes in other faculties. In my administration intends to introduce more programmes that would take off next session. We are looking at Chemical Engineering, Mechatronics, Pharmacy, Estate Management, Architecture and other courses.
Protests and strikes have become a reoccurring decimal in public institutions in the country. How do you hope to handle this situation, in your capacity as VC?
I used to be the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of this university. At a point, I was the Ilorin zone chairman of ASUU which comprised six universities then, although now defunct. Based on that trajectory, I can say that I know how to relate with my colleagues from the unions like ASUU, SSANU, NASU. I want to be able to relate with the unions through constant dialogues and then a transparent policy. We don’t have to wait till there is a protest before engaging them in a dialogue. I will also ensure that I don’t engage in double standards. Then, the issue of their emoluments will receive the utmost attention. We first want to ensure that the outstanding liabilities I inherited is cleared. We also want to manage effectively and prudently the resources of the university by reducing the overhead and other sundry expenses. I am a welfarist and the payment of salaries as and when due will be attended to, as well as payment of pensions and gratuities.
Citing the issue of insufficient monthly subventions as critical to the under-development of public universities, how is your administration facing and navigating this major challenge?
It is still a challenge now but let me say that the visitor has been so kind and generous to EKSU. When Dr Fayemi was in government between 2010 and 2014, three tertiary institutions were merged into one, namely – University of Education, Ikere, University of Science and Technology, Ifaki, and University of Ado-Ekiti and now known as Ekiti State University (EKSU). As at that time, the monthly subvention was N210 million but our governor, realising that wage bill will keep on increasing, magnanimously increased subvention form N210 million to N260 million. That is what we still get today. That tells you that during the administration of a certain governor, no single dime was added to the N260 million. The wage bill of the university alone stands at about N500 million and that means that as the VC, I have to be racking my brain every month to get a balance of N240 million to pay salaries alone. Don’t forget that we still have overheads, infrastructure and the rest. The good new is that the visitor is committed to doing his best to improve on the fortune of the university, immediately we submit a forensic report to him.
The issue of “sex-for-marks” is a topical issue and lecturers in private and public institutions have been exposed. How would EKSU, under your watch address this anomaly?
Let me say that to every right-thinking chief executive of any institution in Nigeria, that should be his/her concern. My administration has declared zero tolerance for such, including gender based violence. All sorts of sexual assault and harassment must not be found in EKSU. As I speak with you, the cases that have been reported are being addressed. One of such cases has been concluded and we are still on the judgment to pass. On another one that was brought to my knowledge, we have held an inaugural meeting on October 15th and I have charged them to expedite action. If not totally eradicate it, we want to reduce to the barest minimum all other vices like admission and employment racketeering, cultism, gangsterism, examination misconduct. On prosecuting the offenders, we will employ the principle of fair hearing, justice and quick discharge of such cases. We will not sweep any case under the carpet, no matter how close the culprit is to me.
Aside from the punitive measures your administration has put in place, can we sanitise the educational system of all forms of vices that have continued to stunt the growth of the sector?
I have been informed that even the National Assembly is trying to come up with stricter penalties for offenders within the system. There is also a forum that brings all vice chancellors together – the Association of Vice-chancellors of Nigerian Universities. I am of the opinion that the matter should be at the front-runner at the next meeting so that we can collectively come out to take a position on what we intend to do to sanitise the system. The press too must continue to play its a role in that area. I also learnt that an NGO is trying to stage a campaign to address that. Again, there are some students who are always scared of being victimised. Here, we are trying to provide suggestion boxes in different faculties and strategic locations on campus. The keys to those boxes will be in the VC’s office. I want to state further that, sometimes, we may look at the content of the message, rather than the messenger. By that, I mean we will look at the substance of the allegations because some students may be afraid of coming as witnesses for fear of being victimised. I also intend to work hand in hand with the students associations. I have told them to go beyond the collection of dues to protect the interest of their colleagues. If their colleagues are scared to take up that case, they should be bold enough to take it up. I am a patient who has a daughter and there is no way I would want my daughter to be violated. We want to do everything possible to eradicate this anomaly.
There have been issues of school management caging the students’ union and oftentimes meddling in their affairs which sometimes pitch the authorities against the Students’ Union. What’s your reaction to this?
I have told people who care to listen that this position hasn’t changed my personality. The Students’ Union executives have access to me, both on phone and physically. We have been responding promptly and positively to their yearnings and aspirations. We have also been able to meet them from time to time. That would continue. I also try not to meddle in their politics. For instance, I got a request from the students that I should remove the Dean of Students’ Affairs. What I did was to call both the DSA and the students’ union and I was able to make peace between them. People should not see me as being draconian. As we speak, they have mended their fences. I believe in communication and we have been communicating. I believe in the students’ union. We are also trying to have a lot of our students on campus. Soon, we will be signing an MoU with some investors who would come and build hostels for at least 5,000 students. That would make the school very lively. As things are now, activities cannot go on in the university for 24 hours daily but when we have more hostels on campus, that would happen.
How would you leverage on your relationship with the alumni for development and also collaborate with institutions abroad?
I have a cordial relationship with the alumni association and they have deemed it fit to confirm me with an honorary alumnus status. There is nothing any university can do without the support of the alumni. I will cultivate the alumni to be instrumental to the growth of my administration. In other words, the alumni will be partners in progress. With regards to collaborations, we are going to collaborate with our linkages and even open more linkages with other institutions, home and abroad, so that our university can be called a foremost world-class university of the 21st century that is globally competitive in all spheres.
What are your plans for EKSU in the next five years?
I want to see a university that will be among first ten in Nigeria. I want to see a university that can boast of foreign scholars and foreign students. I want to see a university that will be locally relevant and globally competitive. In other words, a university where there is a relationship between the town and the gown. We also want to explore any available symbiotic relationship between us and organisations that would be willing to partner with us.
