The Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina, has been suspended by the university’s Governing Council following sexual harassment allegations made by senior staff member, Engineer Folasade Adebayo.
A source close to the situation revealed to SaharaReporters that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, expressed dissatisfaction with how the university’s council initially handled the matter.
The committee’s initial recommendation had suggested that Adebayo apologize to Professor Fasina, effectively overlooking the core allegations of harassment, which sparked public outrage. The minister was reportedly angered by the council’s attempt to dismiss the claims, demanding action rather than a resolution that favored the accused. In response to the minister’s concerns, Dr. Alausa reportedly contacted the Chairman of the Governing Council, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), to express his dissatisfaction with the decision.
In response to the minister’s objections, Senator Ndoma-Egba convened an emergency online meeting of the Governing Council, which took place at 2:00 PM on Monday. As a result of this meeting, the council decided to suspend Professor Fasina from his duties.
While the suspension was issued, Professor Fasina appealed to the council, requesting to go on his accumulated leave instead of being fully suspended. His request was granted, allowing him six months’ leave from his duties, even though his tenure as Vice-Chancellor was set to end in August.
The university’s council also appointed Professor Samuel Olubunmi Shittu, the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), to serve as Acting Vice-Chancellor for the next six months, ensuring the continuity of leadership at FUOYE.
The decision was officially confirmed in a statement released by the university’s Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council, Mufutau A. Ibrahim. The statement clarified that the council had approved Professor Fasina’s leave and appointed Professor Shittu as Acting Vice-Chancellor, effective immediately.