Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has quizzed the Vice Chancellor of the Osun State University, Osogbo, Prof. Labo Popoola over allegations of financial impropriety leveled against him by workers of the university.
A cross section of workers of the University, under the auspices of Joint Action Committee(JAC) which comprises all non-teaching staff had accused Popoola of financial mismanagement and administrative inefficiency.
The Chairman of SSANU/JAC, Comrade Lekan Adiat, that of NASU, Comrade Isaiah Fayemi, and his counterpart from NAAT, Comrade Ismail Adeleke while addressing journalists earlier this year, bemoaned the Vice -Chancelleor for running the university aground and accused Popoola of mismanaging over three billion naira he met in the purse of the university upon his assumption of office as the Vice-Chancellor.
The unions had also alleged that the VC siphoned over N6million and mismanaged over N100million. But the panel set up by the Governing Council of the institution exonerated Prof. Popoola of all these allegations even as the VC had claimed that the workers were “corruption fighting back.”
The workers who are currently on strike had faulted the governing council’s exoneration of the VC insisting that Popoola mismanaged the resources of the university.
Our correspondent gathered that the VC had been summoned by the EFCC for interrogation.
Popoola was said to have arrived the Ibadan office on Wednesday before 9:00am before he was released on bail having produced two sureties around 8:00pm.
It was gathered that his quizzing was in connection with the petition levelled against him by non-teaching staff of the institution sometimes last year which has been generating issues after a letter of exoneration was given to him by the University Governing Council Chaired by Mallam Yusuf Ali.
It was further learnt that the non- teaching unions on campus were not pleased with the way the resources of the University are being managed and have alleged the council of aiding and abetting corruption since some of them were allegedly involved.
One of the leaders of the union told our correspondent that over 40 members of the non-teaching staff have been suspended by the university.
The union who spoke under condition of anonymity claimed that the university Vice Chancellor had been witch-haunting members of JAC.
Meanwhile, attempts to speak with the VC proved abortive as his telephone line could not be reached.
