OAU Assures Guests Of Safety As New Vice Chancellor’s Inauguration Holds Tuesday

The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife has assured guests, staff, students and other categories of people of adequate security of their lives and property as the university unveils its 12th substantive Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adebayo Bamire.

The inauguration will hold on Tuesday as the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, will hand over to his successor.

Bamire’s emergence was greeted with protests from residents of Ile Ife who claimed that the university worked against an indigene of the town who was also in the race to become the new VC.

There have been rumours that indigenes would attack the university during the ceremony but the Public Relations Officer of OAU, Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju, in a statement on Monday said the Ife community had assured the university that the ceremony would not be disrupted.

The statement read, “The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, wishes to assure the general public, particularly those who have been specially invited to the inauguration of Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire as the 12th substantive Vice Chancellor of the University, that the campus environment is cool, calm and conducive for the programme, even as adequate security preparation has been put in place to forestall any untoward occurrence.

“Staff, students , the entire university community, guests and other stakeholders should disregard, in its entirety, any release threatening to disturb the peace and tranquility of OAU during the inauguration.”

The university PRO said Ife community in a statement duly signed by comrade Lawrence Awowoyin, J.P, President, Ife Development Board; Dr. Gbolade Famoriyo, President, Ife Progressive Forum; Comrade O. Oyeyinka, President, Great Ife Movement, and their General Secretaries : Rotimi Omisakin, Agbeke Odunmorayo and L. Adewale, a copy of which was directly sent to the university management have said there would be no protest against the inauguration.

Quoting from the statement from the community, he writes, “Consequently, on behalf of Ife Community, it is hereby declared that no protest in whatever form on the subject under reference is authorised now in Ile – Ife.

“We welcome all invited guests/persons to the inauguration of the 12th substantive OAU Vice Chancellor, assuring them of peaceful atmosphere and security, before, during and after the ceremony.”

The outgoing vice chancellor also appreciated the Ife Community Assembly and urged the university community and Ile Ife community to live in peace and maintain their age-long cordiality.

Ogunbodede thanked everybody who has contributed, one way or the other, to the overall success of his administration.

He, also, pleaded for more support from the university stakeholders for his successor so that OAU will attain much greater heights and be one of the leading institutions of higher learning in Africa.