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The Federation of Ede Youth Development Association(FEYDA), has kicked against the appointment of Dr. Woye Olaniran as the Acting Rector for Osun State Polytechnic, Iree.
FEYDA in a statement signed by its President, Comrade AbdulAzeez Idowu , described Olaniran’s appointment as “lopsided and cheating.”
The association urged Governor, Gboyega Oyetola to reverse the appointment.
“The governor should quickly correct the anomalies by announcing the Deputy Rector, Alhaji W.A Oyeleke, as the Acting Rector if he desires peace and harmony in the state,” the association said.
FEYDA stated that as an organisation, it would continue to defend the interest of Ede indigenes and would continue its agitation until the government accede to its demand.
The statement read: “When in December 2009 the government of Osun State appointed Dr. J.O Agboola as the Acting Rector for Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, instead of the most Senior Chief Lecturer in the institution and an indigene of Ede, Alhaji and Dr. Y.A Afolabi, we withdrew to fate as law abiding citizens of the state and lovers of peace. The justification for the appointment of Agboola as the Acting Rector then was that he was the Deputy Rector and that the proper thing to do was to allow Deputy Rector to act, before a substantive Rector is appointed.”
“Nine and a half-years after and at the expiration of Agboola’s tenure, we were shocked to hear government announce on Friday, 31st May that one Dr. Woye Olaniran has been appointed as the Acting Rector for the institution.
“From our findings, Olaniran who has just a few months to retire from the institution was appointed because he is the most Senior Chief lecturer in the polytechnic.
“This arrangement contradicts what was used to appoint Agboola about 10 years ago and what denied Afolabi who was the most Senior Chief Lecturer then. We feel that this is an academic institution where justice, equity and fair play should be allowed to reign and politics of bitterness should be discouraged.
“Our question on this appointment is this: why didn’t the government apply the rule that was used to appoint Agboola then as the Acting Rector and announce the sitting Deputy Rector Alhaji W.A Oyeleke an indigene of Ede as the Acting Rector?
“This action to us is unacceptable and we will not accept this daylight robbery. We will not fold our arms and allow this cheating because Osun State belongs to all of us. We are not asking for extra from the state government but what rightly belongs to us must be given to us if peace must continue to reign in this state.
“We are therefore urging the state governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, to quickly correct the anomalies by announcing the Deputy Rector, Alhaji W.A. Oyeleke as the Acting Rector if he desires peace and harmony in the state.
“As an umbrella body of all Ede youths both at home and in the diasporas, we shall leave no stone unturned in claiming this appointment that belongs to us. We are calling on all agencies of government particularly the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to beam their searchlight on Osun State Polytechnic on the lopsidedness in the way things are done in the institution. We also use this opportunity to call on well meaning indigenes of the state and lover of the state to prevail on the state government to give to us what rightly belong to us.”