CONFLICT RACKETEERS AND PROFITEERS IN FUOYE: A KITCHEN CABINET OF CHAOS

CONFLICT RACKETEERS AND PROFITEERS IN FUOYE: A KITCHEN CABINET OF CHAOS

By Akin Akinsoluga | 5th January, 2025.

It is no longer news that Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) has become a theater of persistent crises, with a select group of individuals orchestrating much of the unrest for personal gain. This cabal, which can best be described as conflict racketeers and profiteers, operates under the guise of loyalty to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fasina, but in reality, they are fueling the instability for their selfish interests.

The Kitchen Cabinet of Chaos

At the forefront of this group is Dr. Awosusi, a former registrar of Ekiti State University (EKSU), who has reinvented himself as a “boy-boy” of the FUOYE Vice-Chancellor. Awosusi, who once held a position of respect in academia, has now aligned himself with dubious schemes, prioritizing personal rewards over institutional welfare. Alongside him are individuals like the DSS official attached to the Vice-Chancellor, who seems more invested in stifling dissent than ensuring security; Prof. Shobowale, who wields influence as a lawyer to advance personal agendas; and Mr. Akinropo Femi, whose writings and actions echo the cabal’s script of deceit and manipulation.

Other notable members include Mr. Fadeni and Dr. Wole Balogun, both of whom play instrumental roles in promoting propaganda, destabilizing the university's unions, and justifying the Vice-Chancellor’s controversial decisions. This collective functions as the Vice-Chancellor's unofficial "kitchen cabinet," derailing governance and undermining the advice of other senior management officials, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellors and other well-meaning staff.

The Profiteering Playbook

This cabal thrives on creating conflict and profiting from its fallout. Their strategies include:

1. Suppressing Opposition: Leveraging their access to power, they target vocal critics of the administration, particularly union leaders and staff members advocating for transparency and fairness.

2. Monetizing Loyalty: Their loyalty to the Vice-Chancellor is transactional, driven by the benefits they accrue through contracts, appointments, and other lucrative privileges.

3. Propaganda and Misinformation: They deploy misinformation to discredit legitimate concerns raised by union leaders, labeling them as troublemakers while deflecting attention from the real issues of maladministration and corruption.

4. Marginalizing Dissenting Voices: By sidelining the advice of the Deputy Vice-Chancellors and other management staff who advocate for due process, they ensure that only their voices reach the Vice-Chancellor, isolating him from constructive criticism.

The Fallout

The actions of these conflict profiteers have left FUOYE in a perpetual state of turmoil. Staff morale is at an all-time low, the university’s reputation is suffering, and pressing issues like corruption, maladministration, and workplace misconduct remain unaddressed. The Vice-Chancellor, instead of acting as a unifying leader, has become a pawn in the hands of these individuals, whose sole interest lies in perpetuating their influence and access to resources.

 A Call for Accountability

It is high time Professor Fasina recalibrates his leadership by distancing himself from this self-serving kitchen cabinet. The advice of Deputy Vice-Chancellors and other management staff must be given precedence over the manipulative counsel of these conflict profiteers. FUOYE cannot afford to remain a pawn in their games of self-enrichment.

If the Vice-Chancellor is truly committed to the progress of FUOYE, he must take bold steps to end the stranglehold of these individuals on the university’s administration. Only by dismantling this cabal can FUOYE hope to restore its standing as a citadel of learning and a model for institutional excellence.

FUOYE PROGRESSIVE GROUP (FPG)