By Emmanuel Adeoye
The Alumni association of Adeyemi Federal University of Education has rejected the re-appointment of a provost for a second term tenure and called for the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor for Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo.
The call was made through a letter which was addressed to the Permanent Secretary, federal ministry of education, dated 5th June, 2023 with reference number AFUED/IMP/FME/22/03 in reaction to a letter purportedly written and signed on behalf of the Permanent Secretary by Director, Colleges of Education, dated 2nd June, 2023 with reference number ADF/ABJ/559/I/24, inviting some selected Provosts of 4 Colleges of Education in Nigeria for a meeting of which Adeyemi Federal University of Education Ondo was included.
The Alumni letter which was signed by the national president of the association, Dr Festus Gboyega Oyebade, reminded the Permanent Secretary of the extant law that established the Adeyemi Federal University of Education Ondo in 2021, which the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria has assented to and gazetted.
In the letter, the Alumni association expressed great concern over the grouping of Adeyemi Federal University of Education Ondo with the other 3 Colleges of Education. They viewed it as a time wasting strategy to further prolong and frustrate the implementation of the University status of the only premier federal University of Education in Nigeria.
The Association further believes that another grand design to permanently slow down the implementation of AFUED Bill was the fresh renewal of the appointment of a provost for a second term tenure while the ministry had earlier confirmed in a letter dated 27 April, 2023 that such re-appointment was inappropriate.
The association therefore called on the federal government through the Permanent Secretary, federal ministry of education, to urgently constitute a governing body and appointment of principal officers for Adeyemi Federal University of Education in order to “remove the shameful lag that Nigeria is a country where everything goes”.