Accusations of blackmail: FUOYE deputy dean alleges suspension was orchestrated in advance

Dr Banji Olaleye, the suspended Deputy Dean of Student Affairs at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, claims that his suspension over alleged extortion was premeditated and orchestrated long before the investigation began, with the university's current administration seeking his removal since February.

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The university's spokesperson, Dr Sunday Saanu, has denied Olaleye's claims, stating that the allegations are false, and the university management had announced the suspension of Olaleye alongside two others, including the Director of the Directorate of Educational Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Olanrewaju Ogunjobi, and the Students' Union Government President, James Adio.

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A petitioner had accused the trio and others of extorting students through the unauthorized collection of N1,000 from each 100-level student, prompting the university's investigation and subsequent suspension of the accused individuals.

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In an exclusive interview, Olaleye maintained that his suspension, which came before the commencement of the investigation, was part of a calculated attempt to tarnish his reputation, and that the current administration had made it clear from the outset that it did not want to work with him.

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Olaleye stated that he had expected to leave his position as Deputy Dean of Student Affairs at the end of July when the tenure of political appointees was due to expire, and that the controversy over entrepreneurship fees arose from a disagreement between the Directorate of Entrepreneurship and the Dean of Student Affairs.

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He explained that his involvement in the matter began when the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor Temitope Babalola, requested that he intervene to resolve the dispute between the directorate and student leaders over the collection of N1,000 from students.

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Olaleye said that after meetings with the Students' Union Government and faculty executives, he contacted the Director of Entrepreneurship, who explained that the fees were being collected directly from students because funds meant for practical sessions were not released by the university management on time.

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He was then asked to help ensure that class representatives remitted the money already collected to the directorate, and after directing student leaders to recover outstanding funds from class governors, about N2.5m was recovered.

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Olaleye said that the Director of Entrepreneurship later instructed that N1m should be paid to student representatives as appreciation for their support, while the remaining N1.5m should be transferred to a designated account provided by the Directorate of Entrepreneurship.

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He claimed that he merely conveyed the resolution by the directorate and ensured that money in the custody of class governors was retrieved, and that his involvement was after the Director of the Entrepreneurship Centre mentioned that he had approval and had spoken with the VC on maintenance to undergo it at the directorate.

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Olaleye was later invited before an investigative panel over allegations of extortion, despite having only facilitated the recovery and remittance of the funds, and he said that the panel initially questioned claims that students received only N35,000 instead of the approved N1m.

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The panel later confirmed that the students had indeed received the N1m, and Olaleye said that he was suspended on June 10 alongside the Director of the Entrepreneurship Centre and the SUG president, and that other staff members who directly handled the funds were excluded from the investigation.

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Olaleye faulted the university for announcing his suspension while investigations were still ongoing, saying that the development subjected him to public ridicule, and he maintained that he had never collected or diverted students' money and insisted that the allegations were being used to justify a decision already taken against him.

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He also questioned the disciplinary process, noting that he was issued a query five days after he had already been suspended, and he said that he responded to the query, appealed the suspension, and petitioned the Chairman of the Governing Council, asking the university to allow the investigation to be concluded before taking disciplinary action.

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A senior member of the school management, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that the management had been misled by the probe panel, and that Olaleye's office was only called to intervene in the crisis, and had advised the Directorate of Entrepreneurship to seek other means to fund the practical sessions.

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The senior management member said that the members of the panel that investigated had issues with students in the past, and that it was like telling somebody's enemy to be the judge in the case, and that they would mislead the system, which they did.

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Reacting to the allegation, the Director of Public Relations of FUOYE, Saanu, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the university's actions were based solely on its anti-extortion policy and not on political considerations.

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Saanu said that since the current Vice-Chancellor assumed office, the administration has made it clear to all stakeholders that misconduct, particularly the extortion of students, would no longer be tolerated, and that the policy was endorsed by the university Senate and later strengthened by the Governing Council.

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The university's management committee reviewed the matter and resolved that the Dean should also be sanctioned because leadership carries responsibility for misconduct under its supervision, and Saanu maintained that a prima facie case had been established against Olaleye before disciplinary measures were taken.

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Saanu rejected claims that the suspension was linked to Olaleye's alleged opposition to the emergence of the Vice-Chancellor, describing the allegation as blackmail, and said that the evidence against Olaleye was overwhelming, and that the university set up a committee which established that he was culpable.

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Saanu also referenced a previous case involving the immediate past Students' Union president, Alao, saying management decided to pardon him because the practice predated his tenure and opted to treat the incident as a deterrent, and that for Olaleye, however, the situation was different and had nothing to do with politics or whether he supported the Vice-Chancellor.