The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE Chapter) has commended the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina for having used his benevolence and charisma to settle the hitherto rift that existed between the union and management of the Ivory Tower.
A statement co-signed by Public Relations Officer, Foluso Ogunmodede and Special Adviser to the VC on Media Matters, Wole Balogun, disclosed that NASU and other sister unions, such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and others, used to have a cat and dog relationship with the school’s management and such was resulting in recurrent crises manifesting in protests and strike actions against the Management.
But when Prof. Fasina came on board on February 11, 2021, he began a robust and beneficial working relationship with the various unions and this has led to a harmonious working relationship with the unions.
According to Comrade Ojumoola Ayodele who is the branch chairman, NASU, FUOYE, the VC did not only settle the rift his union had with the immediate past management, but has also been fulfilling his promises in prioritizing the welfare of the staff.
Ojumoola made the remarks while addressing his colleagues during a maiden edition of a get-together programme the union organized to celebrate the end of the year and the peaceful co-existence on the campus.
Speaking at the event which held on the open field of the Phase One premises of the university main campus, Ojumoola said: “We are happy and we are celebrating ourselves today. Today’s occasion is not only historic but epoch-making. In the past, this period used to be engulfed in crisis such that by now, we would have been warming up on how to engage the management on issues bedeviling our welfare, aftermath of promotion and harassment of members of staff and union leaders but this year, to the glory of God, we don’t have such issues. This is why we are celebrating and it is the first time this good thing will be happening in FUOYE. “
Speaking further, Ojumoola clarified that the new mutually beneficial relationship has shown that it hasn’t been the union that has been troublesome and unreasonable but that, “the previous management team had neglected the welfare of staff, chose deceit over honesty, hence the reasons for the unending crisis that has engulfed this University in the past.
“Now, we enjoy the openness of the VC, Prof. Fasina, immediately he assumed office, he cleared our outstanding unpaid arrears, he established a subsidized Transport Scheme. These coupled with his responsiveness and the fact that he is a man that has assured us that he will prioritize our welfare and he has been living up to this promise. And that is the essence of the peace on the campus now,” he said
Advising his colleagues, the NASU, FUOYE chapter boss, said: “My advice to them is to be committed to their duties. They should be punctual and realize that to whom much has been given, much is expected: They should pray for the system and against the coming back of bad leadership. They should also continue to pray that evil people should not have their way around the VC and finally, they should do away with any bad practices that can put them in trouble. They should be diligent and loyal and shun corrupt practices.”
Ojumoola also advised the Prof. Fasina led Management, saying: “My advice to the VC is to keep doing the good job. He should not relent in prioritizing our welfare and continue to put smiles on the faces of the staff. He should keep walking the talk. The VC should understand that: peace is costly, but it worths the price! God bless him and his amiable Management team.”
Responding to NASU’s commendations, the VC who graced the event, reiterated his decision to ensure that the welfare of all staff and students of the institution is prioritized. He noted that his firm belief is to motivate the staff so as to ensure that they innovate and become efficient.
Unveiling other juicy promises, he said: “We are encouraging training for our staff so they could compete favourably anywhere in the world. And also, we can fetch them internally whenever any vacancy exists for important employment in the University.
“We also want to encourage hardwork and discourage laziness.
“We have become a reference point by other, older universities. Our dream is to get to the very zenith in global ranking. We are also looking towards a scheme where we will make it much easier for our staff to go for further educational trainings and higher certificates
“We are having also 35 awards for different categories of staff and students as motivating measures during the forthcoming 5th and 6th combined Convocation ceremonies. I urge you to serve with a decision that it is only God that can reward you.
“By January, we pray we will commission your Secretariat. God has assisted me to also contribute towards the project. God has been helping some of us and we do not have any reason whatsoever to steal. Ours is to make life better for others. A leader should influence others and make them happy. We will pay attention to your requests and attend to them as at when due.
“Particularly, we will give attention to your request on conversion of staff. We will also pay attention to your request on shift allowance, and others. I urge you to be steadfast in your duties. Do not delay papers on your table. I have a habit of promptly attending to mails so that l would not hold anyone to ransom. This is how an ideal system would work.
“We will soon put in place a measure to control and manage vehicular movement on campus. This is coming very soon and it will involve registration of all vehicles that would come in to the campus.
I want to assure you once again, your welfare will be our priority. Kindly continue to pray for us, for God’s wisdom and guidance always.”