UNIOSUN: Killing of dream, destroying a legacy BACKGROUND Osun State University was established in conformity with the University’s Establishment Law passed in December 2006 by the immediate past parliament of the State House of Assembly and was signed by the then former governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. And having reviewed the requisite documents, the National Universities Commission (NUC) granted approval and formal recognition to the institution as the 80th university in the county and the 30th state university in Nigeria. The university was set up as a conventional, multi-campus school charged with the production of high quality, well–rounded, globally competitive and entrepreneurial graduates who would be catalysts for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development of Osun in particular and Nigeria in general. Going by the establishment law, although the school was intended to be a conventional university, it was put in place to optimise the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in its teaching, learning and research activities. The university which adopted UNIOSUN as its acronym and “Living Spring of Knowledge and Culture” as its motto among other things in pursuit of its goals and objectives to fulfill of its vision and mission was empowered to provide the essential environment conducive for the pursuit of degree and diploma programmes. This quest expectedly would lead to the award of bachelor degree, professional and post-graduate diploma, master degree, Doctor of Philosophy degree and post-doctorate research work for the general advancement of humankind along with several other functions which could make it one of the best universities in the world. Determined to put in place an enduring legacy, the then governor appointed a very strong team as the university Planning Committee. With highly esteemed Professor Peter Okebukola who was once the Executive Secretary of NUC as the Chairman, this assignment was like a ‘deal-done’. Other members of the committee were Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Moses Oyeleke Fawole, Director of Academic Planning, Bowen University, Iwo, Professor Kolawole Adesina, DRPU, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and Professor Sola Akinrinade, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Chairman Committee of Deans, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. For easy communication and accessibility to the state government, four members of the then State Executive Council were included in the committee. They were Mrs. Bunmi Famoriyo, Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Alhaji Ajibola Lawal, Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, and Barrister Gbadegesin Adedeji, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. And for an effective link with NUC in Abuja, the governor also appointed Dr. Suleiman Babatunde Ramon-Yusuf, Deputy Director Quality Assurance, NUC, Tairu A. Adeogun, Deputy Director, Academic Planning and Research, NUC and Dr. Samuel Gbadebo Odewumi, Senior Research Fellow (Special Projects), NUC. Those who handled the secretariat jobs were, the then Director, Higher Education, Chief Julius Babawale Omiwale, and then Deputy Director, Higher Education while Arc. Bola Balogun, Deputy Director, Physical Planning of NUC Abuja and Dapo Adeniyi, who was then at the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice were co-opted into the planning committee. With this team, it was obvious that the then governor was determined to establish the university and it was not a big surprise that UNIOSUN got a speedy approval and full accreditation from the NUC. ACADEMIC PURSUIT The committee came up with a proposal to have a multi-campus institution with a university which shall run conventional academic programmes with slants that “are relevant to socio-economic development of Osun State and Nigeria and that will lead to the production of globally competitive graduates”. With vision to have its main campus in Osogbo, the state capital and branches in each of the geopolitical zones of the state, the purpose of the multi-campus system according to the planning committee was to ensure that quality university education “is decentralised and taken as close to all parts of Osun State as possible”. To achieve its academic objectives in accordance with the committee’s recommendation, the University was put in place to operate a collegiate system comprising the following Colleges: the College of Health Sciences; College of Science, Engineering and Technology; College of Humanities and Culture; College of Management and Social Sciences; College of Law; College of Agriculture and College of Education. While Osogbo was chosen as the Main Campus, five other communities were picked to host the remaining five campuses. These are Ikire, Ejigbo, Okuku, Ipetu-Ijesa and Ofatedo. Besides, the University was billed to establish the following academic units: College for Life-Long Learning and Human Resource Development, the Postgraduate School, General Studies Unit, Centre for Pre-Degree Studies, Centre for the Modernization and Application of Nigeria’s indigenous Languages, Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, Centre for Alternative Energy Research and Rural Environmental Technologies, Centre for Alternative Medicine and UNIOSUN Business School. In addition to this, the institution was expected to run Centre for Public and Global Discourse, Centre for Management Studies, Centre for Space Science and Technology and Centre for Applied Organisation and Management Science. It was agreed by this team that to make this dream a reality, staff selection and recruitment must be based exclusively on merit through the instrumentality of scrupulous and unimpeachable personnel screening processes. To get the best from both the academic and non-academic staff, the university had developmental and exchange programmes with several foreign universities including University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Many of the staff were even sent abroad to further their studies under this programme. To them, all staff of the university “shall be well remunerated with packages that can better the average in the sub-sector. In addition, all deserving staff will be rewarded periodically for creativity, dedication, productivity and loyalty to the ideals of the university. “The University shall also ensure that staff will be provided with an enabling environment with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to enable them perform optimally and realize their full potential and self-actualization. “Functional and relevant staff development programmes shall be put in place through deliberate efforts at allocating at least 2.5% of the total recurrent expenditure to staff development especially in the formative years of the university, in addition to forging fruitful collaboration with funding agencies and development partners for the training of staff”. These objectives helped UNIOSUN in getting some of the best products in both the academic and non-academic branches as its staff. KICK OFF Soon after the approval of the university by NUC, the foundation of UNIOSUN was laid by the then governor and construction of modern facilities commenced immediately. It was on record that the university kicked off without inheriting any existing structure but commenced its academic programmes from its permanents sites. More steps were taken to ensure a solid footing of the university with Professor Okebukola being picked as Pro-Chancellor and Professor Akinriade as the Vice-Chancellor. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade became the first Chancellor. Staffs were recruited and students were admitted promptly and academic activities began. Staffs were given jobs without the influence of any godfather and students secured their admission purely on merit. The first year of the university attracted over 50,000 candidates who sought the school’s admission. No one influenced anything and the then governor gave the school management free hand to operate because according to Professor Okebukola, “Oyinlola was determined to establish a first class university”. However, one of the major issues then was the school fees believed to be on a high side. While many people were of the opinion that the school fees must not be high as they were, both the state government and the school authorities felt that for a sound learning, the fees were tenable. As a matter of fact, Professor Okebukola disclosed that when the Planning Committee came up with the school fees, it was Oyinlola who initially slashed off N100,000 from them with a promise that the state government would source for more fund elsewhere to assist the institution financially. Three years into the school’s academic pursuit, it became a reference point as the best multi-campus institution in this part of the world. Among the comity of other state universities, UNIOSUN was assuming the position of an excellent reference point. To cater for its Medical students, the now state hospital at Asubiaro, Osogbo was converted into the university’s Teaching Hospital while the governor constituted the Hospital Board with Emeritus Professor Oladapo Akinkugbe from the University of Ibadan as the Chairman. Besides, the university in earnest commenced the development of infrastructural facilities at the State Hospital to cater for the Teaching Hospital while the school also secured NUC’s accreditation for a period of five-year period to run its College of Health Sciences. The first three years in the history of UNIOSUN could be described as its best because of its excellent academic packages which attracted many parents to prefer the young institution as their wards’ first choice. Indeed, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) described UNIOSUN’s multi-campus concept as a model and strongly recommended it for even development. THE TURNING-POINT The turning point of UNIOSUN’s vision and mission from its first class academic quest started few weeks after the Court of Appeal in Ibadan on Friday, November 26, 2010 declared the incumbent governor of the state, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola as winner of the April 14, 2007 polls. One of the first assignments of Aregbesola as the governor was his Education Submit programme held in February, 2011. Sign of things to come upon the university started unfolding itself when Aregbesola’s deputy, Madam Titilayo Laoye-Tomori visited UNIOSUN’s main campus in Osogbo in preparation for the programme. Having spoken to his boss, Madam Laoye-Tomosi ordered the immediate removal of Oyinlola’s name from the university’s auditorium named to honour the former governor for his efforts in ensuring the establishment of the school. Again, it was during this Submit where Aregbesola declared that the state was not buoyant enough to fund the university’s multi-campus. He thereafter confided in some of his invited guest speakers of his intention to put up the school for sale. But West Mail gathered that it was Professor Ibidapo-Obe who vehemently kicked against the idea. When this failed, Aregbesola also came up with a proposal to merge the university. This move was overwhelmingly supported by prominent Osogbo indigenes who had initially accused Oyinlola of splitting UNIOSUN into six. But the governor was unsuccessful in his bid to embark on the merger project because of stiff resistance by the remaining five communities hosting the campuses and the school management’s opposition to the idea. Not done with his dirty politics, for over a year Aregbesola intentionally denied management of UNIOSUN access to fund by stopping the legally monthly contribution of each of the 30 local governments in the state. Besides, Aregbesola later slashed the students’ fees by about 40 percent in September 2011 without increasing fund allocation to the young university. Today, this move is still affecting the running of the school affairs. West Mail learnt that since the assumption of Aregbesola as the governor about three years ago, not a single infrastructure has been added to the existing ones in all the six campuses. SUSPENSION OF MEDICAL PROGRAMME The most shocking of all actions so far taken by Aregbesola who is UNIOSUN’s visitor was the suspension of the school’s medical programme. Subsequently, Aregbesola decided to send some of the Medical Science students to Ukraine despite stiff opposition to this move by both the parents of the affected students and the school authorities. West Mail gathered that before the exit Oyinlola’s government in 2010, the university had already secured NUC’s accreditation to run the MBBS (Medical programme). This led to the constitution of Board of UNIOSUN Teaching hospital with Professor Akinkugbe as the Chairman and Professor Olayinka Omigbodun of University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital among others as members. More so, construction of infrastructures for the upgrading of State Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo had commenced. West Mail learnt further that Aregbesola himself approved the appointment of Professor Wale Akinsola of Faculty of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) as the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital before throwing away the project. Professor Akinkugbe’s team reportedly presented a budget of N1 billion to Aregbesola to put the Teaching Hospital in proper shape but the governor informed the Council that the state was not buoyant enough to fund the project. However, the Council was said to have suggested to the governor that with a sum of N250million on yearly basis, the institution can still come on board but Aregbesola rejected the proposal too. He rather announced the suspension of UNIOSUN Medical Programme and decided to send the first batch of Medical Students in the university to Ukraine. The remaining students in Year 1 and 2 were distributed into other departments to study other courses against their will. Therefore, the dreams of these younger generations to study medicine were shattered by the suspension of UNIOSUN Medical programme. Even before the decision to send them to Ukraine was taken, West Mail gathered that the 117 students in the department had their academic programme stalled at 300-level. On the Ukraine trip, Aregbesola reportedly sent a former Permanent Secretary (PS) during ex-Governor Adebisi Akande era, Dr Simeon Afolayan and the Provost, College of Health Sciences, UNIOSUN, Professor Alebiosu to the Soviet Bloc country and their reports must have influenced the governor’s steps. PARENTS’ OPPOSITION TO UKRAINE TRIP UNIOSUN Parents’ Forum met the governor and vehemently kicked against the plan to suspend the university’s medical programme and the sending of the students to Ukraine but in spite of their opposition to the move, Aregbesola turned deaf ears to them. West Mail obtained a document signed by the parents and presented to the governor. Part of the document is reproduced below: “We heard that the state government has decided to close down the College of Health Sciences. While we know that the government is very powerful, we parents believe that this is counter-productive… “Rumour has it that the government is planning to firm out our children to universities in Ukraine to complete their medical training. Your Excellency sir, we are also of the firm belief that this is counter-productive. In the first place, we are certain that most of these good children, future of Osun state will not return to Nigeria after their training. This is the bitter truth. “In the second place, Ukraine is not fertile terrain for medical training because of the attrition that will sweep away many universities in Ukraine by 2013. Ukraine is home to 46 million people and as at March 2010 there were 881 universities and colleges in Ukraine. In July 2009, Ukraine Education and Science ministry predicted that one third of Ukraine universities will be liquidated by 2013… “We have done some arithmetic about the cost of firming our children to Ukraine. The data that we gathered suggested that a total of $15,000 will be spent on each of our children per year. This will give a total of $2,700,000 (N418,500,000) per year. Therefore in 5 years, we would have injected $13,500,000 (N2,092,500,000) into the economy of Ukraine. “If these children return to Nigeria at the end of their training in Ukraine, they will still have to undergo another one or two years of training before they can be allowed to practice by Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). “From our own findings, we are informing you that three options are on the table to train these children to be useful in Nigeria. First, we have been told that Asubiaro is a viable place with full complement of staff. We have also been told that a total of about N250 million will be enough to bring Asubiaro to a standard that can compete as a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria at least to pass the first stage of accreditation by the MDCN. “Secondly, we have also been told that the General Hospital, Ilesa is another viable option. The greater advantage of Ilesa is that there is ample opportunity for expansion. To bring Ilesa to standard, a total of about N175 million is required for the first phase. The government will not need to employ additional staff to implement this option. “Thirdly, we are proposing the Private Public Partnership (PPP) option which will be financed by individuals; manage it for a period of time before it is finally handed over to the owner. An example of this is the Gani Fawehinmi Hospital found in Ondo state. “If we can spend between N175 – N250 million to bring our own facilities to standard and also use the infrastructures forever, why do we want to inject N2.092 billion into another economy”? The parents further promised Aregbesola that they will use their knowledge, connection and resources to assist the state government in ensuring the survival of the school’s College of Health Sciences but the governor deliberately refused to yield to them. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT’S VIEW Professor Sola Akinrinade was the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the university. The programme was suspended during his tenure. In an interview he granted a National Newspaper in July 2012, Akinrinade expressed his dissatisfaction over Aregbesola’s action. Extract from the interview is reproduced here: “My greatest regret is the suspension of the university’s MBBS (medical) programme on the directive of the present government in Osun State. The reason proffered by the government is that the financial circumstances of the state would not permit it to establish a befitting Teaching Hospital. It is difficult for me, personally, to accept that position but the final decision did not lie with me. If only the government would place the requirements within the context of its own health policy and programmes, we most probably would have reached a mutually acceptable position. It is painful because the MBBS programme holds so much promise. “During the first four years, we had invested so much in putting together excellent human and infrastructural resources. We attracted highly qualified staff in all areas of medical training. We invested heavily in equipment and other facilities and our facilities were a reference point for institutions seeking to establish medical programmes. “A testimony to the quality of our programme is that we obtained full accreditation from the National Universities Commission for a five-year period starting 2011. This was a time when many institutions around us including LAUTECH lost their accreditation. Even now as we are talking, our accreditation is still subsisting but unfortunately, again, even now, the students due for clinical training are in Abuja procuring visa to travel to Ukraine. “The government believes closing down the programme and sending the students to a university in Ukraine is a better option. We were prepared to take the upgrading of a state hospital in stages, commensurate with immediate needs. Indeed, if the money being expended on sending the students to Ukraine had been released for upgrading the State Hospital, Asubiaro in Osogbo, or the General Hospital, Ilesa, which we were prepared to use at some point, the people of the state would be benefiting from improved services to be offered by the emerging Teaching Hospital. I am sure you will understand my emotions on this issue. I concede that the governor has a broader picture looking at it from the top. He might have seen what the rest of us could not see and the government is always right. “Curiously the students involved themselves are so excited by the prospects of travelling “abroad,” never averting their minds to the quality of the institution and quality of the training they would be exposed to. “So, yes, my greatest regret is the suspension of our medical programme. Indeed, it is doubly painful because at the inception of the university, we zeroed in on three areas where we desired to make the most impact as an institution, where we desired to affect our society: agriculture, engineering and medicine. “Our reason was simple: if we could contribute to solving the food security challenges of our people, deploy technology to solving the society’s problems, and take care of the health needs of the people, then we would have made our marks as an institution. Fortunately, both our Agriculture and Engineering programmes are also doing well, all having secured full accreditation from both the NUC and, for engineering, also from COREN, and have graduated their first sets”. West Mail gathered that both Afolayan and a professor with Ladoke Akintola University of Technology were accomplices with Aregbesola in the suspension of the medical programme and the ferrying out of the students to Ukraine, a country whose certificates are not recognized by MDCN. Although, some of the concerned parents did not allow their children to be part of Ukraine project but a lot of stories were told about the trip. This include the alleged N50 million bribery by Osun state government of some Ukraine Embassy’s staff before visas can be issued to the students, the delay before the students were allowed to travel to Ukraine and the emerging facts that the students were not allowed to go near their hospitals but only being taught through screens. But a concern parent who preferred anonymity expressed deep worry over Aregbesola’s “killing” of UNIOSUN’s Medical programme. He queried, “Is it because he didn’t understand how a university is being operated or what? Is it not the same Aregbesola who spent over N350 million to build a park at Gbongan junction which has today become a den of robbers. Is it not the same man who spent over N1 billion on the construction of Freedom Park at Railway Station in Osogbo? Which one is more important, is it the Gbongan Park or a Teaching Hospital that will be a training ground for several of our children? Can we compare the benefits of a Freedom Park with that of a Teaching Hospital that will cater for the health of millions of indigenes of this state now and in future”? “I am of the view that before the exit of Aregbesola as the governor of this state, he would have succeeded in taking us back to Nigeria of 1953”, he added. ABUSE OF STATE POWER Unlike the immediate past administration which granted the authorities of UNIOSUN ample opportunity to admit its students purely on merit, top functionaries of the present government have become thorns in the flesh of the school management. West Mail learnt that the lists of candidates sent to the school management by the governor, his deputy and other aides and members of the state House of Assembly to be admitted as students into the university during the last admission exercise were far above what the institution can cope with. More so, it was gathered that the new VC, Professor Bashiru Adekunle Okesina nearly had a running battle with the state government when a long list of names of job seekers was sent to the school. Besides, the state government reportedly directed the management to charge each of the applicants who recently applied for job at UNIOSUN a sum of N2,500 as a processing fee to generate fund. The VC was said to have turned down the request insisting that staff of the university will be engaged on merit. He also kicked against charging of processing fees by applicants. SESSION OF STRIKE Indication that things were getting out of hands emerged few weeks ago when UNIOSUN branch of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for the first time since the birth of the university seven years ago declared an indefinite strike. The teachers vowed that they won’t return to classes until the state government meets their demands. The union, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Dr. Abiona Oluseye and the Secretary, Mr. Wende Olaosebikan, said the strike would be “total, indefinite and comprehensive.” The union said: “Osun State Government introduced a neck-breaking tax over the basic and allowances components of our salaries and apart from this, no single member of academic staff in UNIOSUN has enjoyed his or her 56 working days statutory leave to which we are entitled since inception of the university. “The Osun State University has no operational condition of service, as such, appointment, promotion, emoluments of our members are arbitrarily determined with impunity.” The union also rejected the merger of the university with the Ministry of Education, noting that to ensure optimum performance and smooth academic calendar, the institution must not be merged with any ministry. “Due to this merger, salaries of staff are being paid by Abere, the seat of governance and the quarterly allocation of the young university has been replaced by monthly subvention thereby paving the way for undue delay of release of funds,” it said. Again, few days ago, other staff of the university staged a peaceful protest in the premises of its Osogbo Campus over their unpaid entitlements by the state government. Shortly after the protest, the workers declared indefinite strike action, saying they have reported Aregbesola to God through fasting and prayer in a bid for him to yield to their demands. The workers under the umbrella body of the Joint Action Congress (JAC) comprising of Senior Staffs Association of Nigeria University (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union and Educational Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) of the institution also during the protest said they will not return to their duty posts until their demands are met. While addressing the three unions at a congress held at the Osogbo campus, the NASU Chairman, Comrade Isaiah Fayemi disclosed that the management had met with the state government on behalf of the workers, but their efforts yielded no positive result as state government and management of the institution refused to accede to the requests of the workers. “UNIOSUN is the only institution in the whole South-West that is not enjoying the hazard allowance. Even LAUTECH that is co-owned by Osun and Oyo state governments is being faithful to this hazard allowance. To this end, the institution council chairman has said that a committee should be set up consisting of the Vice-Chancellor, the paramount ruler of Ile-Ife and some other principal officers of the institution in order to mediate with the governor” Fayemi said. The communiqué issued and signed by the Chairmen of SSANU, Comrade Kadiri Adiat, NASU, Comrade Isaiah Fayemi and NAAT, Comrade Adeleke Ismaheel, noted that the implementation of the hazard allowance, arrears, overtime allowance and stoppage of special allowances for some selected staff would be implemented to the letter before they would call off the strike. The communiqué reads further: “The University should henceforth stop the implementation of the new killing tax regime and reverse to the old tax as obtained in other universities”. “The management should review the anomalies in the recent vacancies advertisement published in the Punch Newspaper of Thursday, 27thh June, 2013. The advertisement should be reversed to accommodate members of staff with higher qualifications, temporary and GAP (Graduate Assistant Programme) that have been serving the system for sometimes now”. “The management should pay without further delay the 1% pioneer allowance arrears, pay staff salary promptly and also implement the welfare package for staff which includes car refurbish, furniture and housing loan as obtained in other universities and government parastatals”, the Unions added in their communiqué. The question is: How will future of UNIOSUN be under Aregbesola?
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 17:44:45 +0000
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