Akeredolu disapproves storming of OAU campus by Ife traditionalists protesting VC appointment

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has expressed disapproval and outright condemnation of Ife indigenes and traditionalists who stormed the campus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, to protest appointment of a non-indigene of Ife as Vice-Chancellor.

Governor Akeredolu, in a statement in Akure, decried that the action is alien to the system, saying it is thoughtless, reckless, and misguided.

The Governor stated that the action shows the level of degeneration of the university system in the country, where those who lost out in the selection process seek traditional support.

Akeredolu lamented that the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor, an uncomplicated internal process of the university system, has now become a source of intense politicking among academics and their non-teaching counterparts.

Akeredolu in the statement declared: “The latest news on the invasion of the campus by some Ife indigenes and traditionalists, allegedly, to protest the failure by the authorities to appoint “an Ife indigene”, showcases the extent to which the system has sunk, almost irretrievably.

“This is, perhaps, symptomatic of the pervasive rot in the academia. This thoughtless, reckless, and misguided step forebodes untoward occurrences in the future.

“A situation which seems totally extraneous elements to the university environment invade the serene ambience to offer support, presumably solicited and sponsored by those who may have lost out in the selection process, is lamentable.”