Stakeholders in the Federal University, Oye -Ekiti (FUOYE) have urged the Federal Government to intervene in the process of selecting new Vice Chancellor.
Already,over 100 applicants had expressed interest in the plum job ,to replace Professor Abayomi Fasina whose tenure expires soon.
They alleged that the swift intervention became imperative
to safeguard transparency, fairness, and institutional integrity before irreversible damage is done to the university’s reputation.
The Governing Council, chaired by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, races to conclude the process of appointing a new Vice-Chancellor amid allegations of secrecy, and an unusually compressed timetable allegedly designed to favour a predetermined candidate.
Part of the worry is the revised timetable for the Vice-Chancellorship selection process spans barely ten days, from October 27 to November 5, 2025, despite nearly 100 applicants seeking the post.
The Search Committee has been given only two days to identify and shortlist candidates, while the Selection Committee has just two days to conduct interviews and make final recommendations.
In response to the alleged manipulation, several candidates vying for the Vice-Chancellorship have vowed to petition the Visitor to the University, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, if the process continues under the current timetable and structure.
The aggrieved applicants insist that the ongoing exercise undermines merit and transparency, threatening to escalate their grievances to the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) if urgent corrective measures are not taken.
“It’s a carefully choreographed imposition,” one applicant said. “We will not watch silently while FUOYE’s integrity is traded for politics and personal gain.”
A sources describe the schedule as “a deliberate rush to announce a pre-selected successor.” They allege that the compressed timeline was crafted to pave the way for Prof. Joshua Ogunwole, a former Vice-Chancellor of Bowen University, who is rumoured to have already secured the council’s backing.
There were claims that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, has been openly boasting that Ogunwole will emerge as the next VC, describing him as “a no-nonsense person who will continue my work.”
“The timetable was designed for speed, not fairness,” a senior staff member told this reporter. “Everything points to a pre-arranged outcome.”
Fasina’s dramatic return from what insiders described as an “inglorious leave” has further deepened divisions within FUOYE. Witnesses said he arrived on campus in an open-roof vehicle, accompanied by police escorts, and motorbike riders brandishing weapons, an event staff member has called “a shameful show of force.”
Since his resumption, Fasina has allegedly reshuffled several revenue-generating units, including the Part-Time Institute, JUPEB, Pre-Degree, and Affiliate Programmes, appointing loyalists who are accused of remitting proceeds directly to him.
The decision of the Council’s to relocate its meetings from FUOYE’s Ekiti State campus to the private office of the chairman, Senator Ndoma-Egba, in Abuja further fueled suspicion of an alleged grand plot to influence the choice of the new VC
They Stakeholders argued, contravenes the White Paper recommendations of the university’s Visitation Panel, which stipulate that council meetings must be held within the university’s host state.
“The relocation is part of the grand design. Abuja provides cover for decisions that cannot withstand scrutiny.”
Financial Allegations and Mismanagement
The crisis deepens with renewed allegations of financial impropriety. Reports allege that over ₦1.18 billion, paid by students for a Smart School Internet Project, was withdrawn during Fasina’s leave, with the joint approval of the VC and the Council chairman, with no visible infrastructure delivered. The 10-year MoU with the private consultant was allegedly signed without the university’s legal adviser’s participation, raising concerns about due process and accountability.
Fasina is also accused of replacing the university’s admissions officer with a close ally to facilitate the sale of remaining admission slots, a practice insiders describe as “immoral and destructive to institutional credibility.”
As the Council races toward its November 5 deadline, the atmosphere in FUOYE is tense and uncertain. Many fear that the outcome of the Vice – Chancellorship selection could either restore credibility to the institution or plunge it deeper into crisis.
“The peace and stability of FUOYE are hanging by a thread,” said a senior academic. “What the university needs now is reform, not repetition of past mistakes.”