'I did not shut down UI' - VC

olamide oni

June 2, 2016 7:22 AM

“On their arrested leaders, we learnt that they were inviting their colleagues for a meeting within the school premises while the Senate had ordered that they should go home."

VC, University of Ibadan, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka

The Vice Chancellor of the of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka, has assured that the varsity management is doing all it can to restore peace in the institution.

While speaking to the press on his six-month in office on Tuesday, May 31, he also mentioned a few challenges which has been holding back the university.

Olayinka stated that having spent 39 years in the university, both as student and staff, some issues which were currently confronting the institution were perennial problems, noting that the economic situation made the current crisis worse than ever.

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On students’ protests, which emanated from the expulsion of a student and the arrest of some students’ leaders on Monday evening, Professor Olayinka said the school is not in session at the moment, courtesy of a decision taken by the Senate.

The vice chancellor also cleared up that the decision to shut down the school was not made by him, individually, it was the school's Senate decision to close down. He added that only the Senate has the power to reopen the institution.

“I did not close the school, but the Senate did. There is a process in doing that, so, ignore any notice by any medium directing the students to resume.

“Such notice is fake and I want you to disregard it. There is a stakeholders’ meeting scheduled for next week Tuesday, at the Trenchard Hall. If the school will decide on students’ resumption, the steps in that regards will be taken accordingly by the same process that sent the students off from the campus.

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“On their arrested leaders, we learnt that they were inviting their colleagues for a meeting within the school premises while the Senate had ordered that they should go home. I consulted legally and discovered that there cannot be two orders. So, the security officers on duty did the job they were being paid for.

“I learnt they were taken to Sango police station, and the situation also needed the intervention of the State Commissioner of Police. However, the Dean of Students Affairs is already with the CP to sort things out. I believe they would have been released now.”

olamide oni