OAU Schemed Our Indigenes Out Of VC Appointment Over Land Dispute– Ife Community Alleges

The Ife Development Board has accused the management of Obafemi Awolowo University headed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitooe Ogunbodede, of manipulating the VC Selection Committee to sideline Ife indigenes who applied to be the vice chancellor.

The group said the incumbent VC allegedly did that because of the pending land dispute between the community and the university.

The president of the Ife Development Board, Lawrence Awowoyin, who revealed this on Monday, said the varsity thought that if the indigene of the ancient town was given such an appointment, he might cede the disputed land to the community.

He said, “The crux of the matter is a pending land dispute between the community and the university since the emergence of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Top Ogunbodede.

“We had advised the university that their purported claims were invalid. We, therefore, sought dialogue with the university authorities, asking them to produce gazetted documentary evidence in their possession so that both parties could easily reconcile their conflicting claims. The university consistently refused to avail us of such documents in support of their claims.

“The administration of Prof. Ogunbodede turned a simple dispute resolution process into an unbelievable war of attrition, alleging criminality against members of the community and willfully waging a media campaign that sought to malign and undermine our leaders in the eyes of the world thereby disrupting the peaceful and mutually respectful relationship of many decades.

“Prof. Ogunbodede and his collaborators have since convinced themselves that if a candidate of Ife origin becomes the vice-chancellor, he/she would automatically determine the outstanding land matter in our community’s favour.

” With such a subjective mindset, he has diligently tried to poison and mislead the Governing Council and officials of the Federal Government to believe in such false assumptions and wrong conclusions. This devious attitude, therefore, set the stage for the discrimination being suffered by one of our sons, Prof. R.A.Adedoyin, who is contesting the vice chancellorship position. “

However, the Public Relations Officer of OAU, Abiodun Olanrewaju , advised the Ife community to wait for the outcome of their petition.

The university PRO said, “They have petitioned the Federal Government over the process that led to the appointment of Professor Adebayo Bamire, let them wait for the outcome now! Instead of this name-calling.

“Professor Ogunbodede doesn’t have any power or influence to manipulate the committee that appointed the new VC. Members of the committee have independent minds. He can never incite any of them against any candidate.”