Demands unbiased
probe into the Prof. Daramola-led administration and payment of workers salary
arrears
PRESS STATEMENT
The
Education Rights Campaign (ERC) strongly condemns the recall of the immediate-past
Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Prof. Biyi
Daramola, and the Bursar, Emmanuel Oresegun, by the Governing Council of the
Federal University of Technology (FUTA) after the Minister of Education had
suspended them, in compliance with extant public service rules, over allegations
of misappropriation of public funds and abuse of office brought against them.
As
far as we are concerned, the action of the Governing Council can only be viewed
as an attempt to legitimize corruption, cover-up and undermine the struggle of
the staff unions for an unbiased probe of the Prof. Biyi Daramola-led
university administration. If care is not taken, such action can help to
further entrench the culture of impunity by which management of tertiary
institutions run the affairs of their schools.
At
the same time, the ERC also condemns the University management for refusing to
pay the salaries and allowances of the members of the NASU, SSANU, and NAAT
because of their protest which led to the suspension of Prof. Daramola and the
University’s Bursar. Despite the agreement and verdict of the court that all
allowances should be paid not later than 24 hours after the suspension of the
protest and resuming back into offices of the staff union, the management has
refused to pay up even after 7 days of resumption.
So
grave were the allegations against Prof. Biyi Daramola and his Bursar, Emmanuel
Oresegun, that they were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday 14 February 2017 at the Ondo State High Court in
Akure on offences of misappropriation of public funds, misuse of office, and
obtaining money under false pretense among others. While Mr. Daramola is facing
a nine-count charge, his co-accused is facing a two-count charge of mishandling
unpaid funds and fixing funds without due process.
It
should be recalled that the members of the three staff unions under the
umbrella of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) embarked on a protest and strike
which lasted 7 months since the 6th day of October, 2016, demanding the interdiction
of the immediate-past VC, Prof. Biyi Daramola and Bursar who are being
prosecuted by the EFCC and the dissolution of the FUTA Governing Council, among
other demands. After a lot of delays spanning 7 months, the Minister of
education finally bowed to the power of struggle and suspended Prof. Daramola
and Emmanuel Oresegun.
Now
that the Governing Council is now actively trying to undermine workers’
struggle against graft and for transparency in the running of the University,
the staff unions must not relent. Instead a useful lesion they must draw from
this experience is that the struggle against corruption in the University
system cannot succeed simply with interdiction and prosecution of the
immediate-past VC and the bursar. In the first instance, if the Governing
Council was not corrupt itself or benefitting from Prof. Daramola’s corrupt
activities, it would not have turned a blind eye to the mismanagement that went
on under the past administration. Therefore, it is only until the
decision-making organs of the University (i.e. the Senate, Governing Council etc.)
are democratized through the involvement of genuine and elected representatives
of students and staff that it can be possible to prevent fraud, corruption and
mismanagement.
Hence,
the workers union needs to return to the drawing table in order to plan a more
effective action to demand an unbiased probe of the Daramola’s led
administration. This type of plan should involve a day of action coupled with
mass rallies and public mass-actions. Furthermore, the demands of the workers
union should be extended to, not only the suspension of the corrupt management
officials but also the recovery of all looted funds. Since these funds, if
recovered, will be to the benefit of the whole FUTA community, there is a need
for students and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to
stand in solidarity with the JAC.
Going
forward, a key demand that the workers unions must now embrace is the demand
for democratic running of FUTA whereby both staff and students of the institution
will be key factors in the decision making organ of the institution. This is
the only effective antidote to corruption and mismanagement.
We
also call on the new leadership of the students union to play an important role
towards the mobilization for the eradication of corruption and the democratic
running of the institution, not only in FUTA but also in other tertiary
institutions across the country. Where University administrators pilfer or
mismanage funds, the first victims are students who will continue to lack the
adequate facilities required for quality education. Therefore it is vital that
students unite with staff unions in joint struggle.
For
us in the ERC, while we continue to demand for a better standard of living
under this government, we believe it is equally imperative for the labour
movement to start building an alternative mass workers party to fight for
political power and enthrone a democratic socialist system of government which
will serve as a permanent long-lasting solution to the fundamental problems
facing education sector and society as a whole. It is until the commanding
heights of the economy are placed under the democratic control and management
of the working masses that such problems like fraud and corruption can be permanently
eradicated.
Owoyomi
Damilola Owot
Ondo State ERC
Coordinator
07065184322
