Management of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has implored the leadership of Ile- Ife to call their people protesting the appointment of non-indigene as the new Vice Chancellor of the institution to order.
The protests by the Ife indigenes started last Thursday, 17th March, 2022 shortly after the University Governing Council, led by its Chairman, Owelle Oscar Udoji, announced a professor of Agricultural Economics, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, as the 12th substantive Vice-Chancellor.
It however took a new dimension on Monday when the protesters chose to descend on innocent workers, particularly security personnel and students.
They invaded the campus of the University with charms and other fetish objects, having closed its two major gates thereby preventing staff, students, and other stakeholders from either coming into or leaving the University.
Explaining the selection process in a release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, he stated that the Joint Council and Senate Selection Board shortlisted sixteen (16) candidates for the interaction for the post of Vice Chancellor and the candidates whose names were arranged in alphabetical order, were called in for interaction and each was scored by each member of the Selection Board.
“The score sheets of each assessor for individual candidates were dropped into an envelope and sealed, with the signature of the chairman of council on each one.
“At the end of the interaction, the sealed envelopes were opened one after the other and announced to all the members.
“The score sheets were thereafter passed around for sighting. Then, scores of the candidates were collated with Microsoft Excel and ranked from the highest to the lowest. The candidate with the highest score was eventually announced as the Vice Chancellor by the Governing Council,” he said.
