BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
Aggrieved workers of the Osun State University, on Friday, staged a mock funeral service to send forth the out gone Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Labode Popoola, whom they described as a tyrant.
The staff of the university gathered at the Osogbo campus as early as 10am to mark Popoola’s exit with dancing, singing and frying of bean cake.
The students of the institution watched the workers who swept the floor from the Vice-Chancellor’s office to the school gate. They later served and ate the bean cake to bade the VC farewell.
The university staff, under the aegis of the Non-academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the National Association of Academic Technologists, described Popoola’s tenure as difficult.
They said that his tenure was characterised by injustice, corruption, nepotism, abuse of office and other illegalities.
They fixed a banner bearing the picture of Popoola with inscriptions such as, ‘With gratitude to God, the entire staff of Osun State University celebrate the inglorious exit of a mischievous tyrant, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Labode Popoola,’
on the Senate Building of the campus.
Also inscribed on the banner is, ‘He will be fondly remembered for lies, mischiefs, high-handedness, arrogance, divide and rule, power drunkenness, corruption, abuse of office, power intoxication, fetishism, sadism, witch hunting, nepotism, illegalities, among others.’
The VC exited office officially on Thursday, urging the acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adefemi Bello, to right the alleged wrongs.
Addressing the workers, the Chairman of NASU, Isaiah Fayemi, recalled that Popoola interdicted workers for protesting against his alleged corrupt practices, adding that the Chairman, Joint Action Committee of the university, Lekan Adiat, and five others, were interdicted.
“Popoola came and used his position to victimise us, to withhold our salaries, and that is why we are celebrating his exit. We are happy that he is gone and gone forever. One of the reasons why we have gathered to celebrate his exit is for everyone to learn lessons and to warn those in positions of authority, that if you do good, you will be celebrated and if you do bad, like Popoola did, you will be condemned.
“We expect the newly appointed VC to do well. We started this university together,” Fayemi said.
