In a dramatic turn of events, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, has been suspended following explosive allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by a senior female university official, Engr. Folasade Adebayo.
The decision came after Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, intervened, expressing outrage over what he reportedly described as a shameful attempt by the university’s Governing Council to bury the scandal.
A reliable source disclosed to SaharaReporters on Monday that the Minister was infuriated by the initial recommendation of the Council’s investigative committee, which shockingly advised that the accuser, Engr. Adebayo, apologise to the embattled VC—despite her allegations of sexual misconduct.
“The Minister was livid,” the source revealed. “He felt the Council was trying to sweep the matter under the rug. He personally called the Governing Council Chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), and made his disapproval known in strong terms.”
Following the Minister’s intervention, Senator Ndoma-Egba swiftly convened an emergency online meeting of the Governing Council at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 14. The outcome: the immediate suspension of Prof. Fasina.
Faced with mounting pressure, Fasina reportedly pleaded with the Council to allow him to quietly bow out by proceeding on his accumulated leave rather than face outright suspension. In a move seen by some as a face-saving gesture, the Council agreed, granting him six months’ leave—effectively removing him from office until the official end of his tenure in August.
> “He invoked a policy that permits a Vice-Chancellor within six months of term completion to proceed on accumulated leave,” the insider noted. “And the Council took it.”
To maintain leadership continuity, the Governing Council appointed Prof. Samuel Olubunmi Shittu, a renowned Professor of Soil Science and the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), as the Acting Vice-Chancellor for the six-month transition period.
In a press release signed by the Registrar and Secretary to Council, Mufutau A. Ibrahim, the university confirmed both Fasina’s departure and Shittu’s appointment.
> “The Governing Council of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) at its 7th Emergency Meeting held online on Monday, 14th April, 2025, approved the Vice-Chancellor’s request to proceed on six (6) months of his accumulated Annual and Research Leave, comprising 126 working days out of 228 total entitlements.”
> “Consequently, Prof. Olubunmi S. Shittu, the incumbent Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) and the most senior of the three Deputy Vice-Chancellors, has been appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor for a period of six (6) months effective immediately.”
This scandal marks yet another high-profile reckoning within Nigeria’s academic institutions, where calls for accountability, transparency, and protection for whistleblowers continue to echo across campuses.
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