SSANU Rejects FUOYE Governing Council’s Decision on VC and Engineer Folashade Adebayo’s Case

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has strongly condemned the recent decision by the Governing Council of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), to clear the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, of allegations of sexual harassment. According to SSANU, the council’s resolution was flawed and unjust, pointing to several key issues that, according to the union, compromised the integrity of the investigation.

One of the primary concerns raised by SSANU was the continued tenure of Prof. Fasina as Vice Chancellor while the investigation was ongoing. SSANU argues that this undermined the fairness of the process, as it is difficult to ensure impartiality when the person under investigation remains in a position of authority. The union also criticized the council for not properly examining key evidence, including audio recordings of alleged inappropriate conversations between Fasina and Engineer Folashade Adebayo, which were not subjected to forensic analysis.

Furthermore, SSANU rejected the council’s suggestion that the recordings were made for blackmail purposes, accusing the council of attempting to divert attention from the contents of the conversations. According to SSANU, the recordings contained damaging admissions from the Vice Chancellor, including compromising remarks about other university officials, and attempts to influence Adebayo to submit to his advances.

In addition to the council’s failure to address these concerns, SSANU also expressed anger over the treatment of Engineer Folashade Adebayo, who had been sanctioned for allegedly bringing the university’s name into disrepute. SSANU maintains that Adebayo’s complaint of sexual harassment was legitimate and should not have been dismissed.

As a result of the council’s decision, SSANU has threatened to take industrial action, with the Western Zone already mobilizing its 26 universities. The union has called on the Nigeria Labour Congress and other relevant bodies to intervene, warning that the situation could escalate into a larger national industrial dispute if not addressed.