The alleged crisis claimed to be existing at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) by Dr. J. O. Folorunsho, a lecturer in the Geography Department, has been discovered by Stewardship Online Investigative Media Crew to be untrue. The claims were found to mischievously motivated and a figment of lecturer’s imagination.
According to Barr. Zacceaus Dare Michael, Head of Stewardship Online Investigative Media Crew, an independent investigating media outfit, it was revealed that Dr. Folorunsho, a factional leader of ASUU, provided the misleading information to the press all in a bid to create disaffection amongst management, staff of FUL and the public.
In a detail report, Zaccheaus said: “A visit to the citadel of learning by Stewardship Online Media Crew revealed also that the information made available to the press by Dr. Folorunsho was done with the intention to mislead the public as the prevailing situation in the institution is calm, peaceful, with the management and staff going about their lawful duties without any iota of disaffection as was alleged by the lecturer.
“Aside speaking with the school’s Registrar, Stewardship Online Media Crew interviewed some management and academic staff on the claims by Dr Folorunsho and discovered that his allegation of irregularities in the recent employment exercise carried out by the institution was baseless and misleading as the exercise followed due process.
“The employment exercise, the investigation revealed, followed the stipulated law as the federal character commission had their representative in the committee, thus, aside monitoring the process, they also issued a certificate of compliance, adjudging that the exercise followed due diligence.
“Stewardship Online Investigation crew also met with some academic and non-academic staff of the FUL who got promoted in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 exercise. Aside the confirmation by those promoted, Stewardship investigation discovered also that the University’s monthly bulletin, Vol1 No.6, published the names of about two hundred staff promoted within the year mentioned while the promotion exercise for 2019 is at the final stage of completion.
“Furthermore, findings revealed that the claims by Dr. Folorunsho which were evil motivated, calculated to run down the University Management for his selfish reasons, was discovered too that currently there is no rift between the management and the Academic Staff Union of FUL as claimed.
“Possibly out of his ignorance, it was discovered too that there is no single graduate of FUL that has not been mobilized for NYSC. Aside having evil intention as was discovered by the investigation, Dr. Folorunsho from information available to Stewardship Crew, is also not aware that Universities don’t mobilize graduates, rather the NYSC, else going to the press with such claims was considered and discovered to be unnecessary.
“It is important too to State that Stewardship Crew discovered that it was misleading to have alleged that Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) of the University have not been paid to staff members. Revelation from investigation showed that EAA has since been paid to all of the deserving staff as directed by the Implantation Committee constituted for that purpose for which the ASUU representative as Chairs, alongside the representation of all other unions on campus, thus making the claims by Dr. Folorunsho to be unfounded and aimed at creating disaffection.
“From the investigation by Stewardship Crew, it was discovered that currently there is no record of victimization in the FUL. It was further observed from the random interviews conducted, that no one single case of victimization abound, thus making false the claim by Dr Folorunsho of victimization misleading and a misinformation.
“Another deliberate mischief was the claims that the FUL was yet to release her first semester exams results as alleged. This misinformation was discovered to have been peddled out of ignorance, as the Institution exam management is still within the window and time frame of marking and preparing the results of students before onward delivery to the Senate for its approval.
“Records made available to Stewardship Crew in the minutes of meetings held showed that aside statutory meetings, management of FUL hold regular meeting, thus rendering the claims of reluctance to hold and call for meetings by Dr Folorunsho as false. This the Stewardship Online Investigative Crew felt could possibly smack out of his ignorance of the working of the University system or as can be summed up in his interview, geared at creating crisis and disaffection in the University.
“Similarly, investigation on the visit to the permanent site of FUL by Stewardship, revealed Work at ninety percent completion for the school to relocate to its permanent site.
“It is expected that the school of Postgraduate would resume in the permanent site for academic activities by December, this is against the false claims by Dr Folorunsho that the program is yet to take off owing to the inability to summon meetings.
“Investigation has revealed that FUL is amongst the fastest growing universities in terms of academic excellence and infrastructure, when compared with universities created same time in the country, an indication of the effects of the current vice. Chancellor, Prof. Angela Miri.
“For now it is safe to say from the available records and information from Staff and Management of FUL that the prevailing situation in the institution as discovered and concluded by Stewardship Online Investigative Crew is one of an institution on a match to academic excellence and greatness. This can be seen as the management and the various unions and staff are living in harmony, as such making Dr Folorunsho’s claim to be satanically motivated and to create disaffection amongst Senate, management, staff of the institution as well as the general public,” the statement read.
