“Needless Tension”: Osun Govt Warns ASUU Over VC Tenure Row

The Osun State Government has warned members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Osun State University branch, against creating what it termed “needless tension” over the tenure of the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Clement Odunayo Adebooye.

The government said the recent extension of tenure followed due process after an amendment to the law establishing UNIOSUN by the Osun State House of Assembly.

A Clash Over University Governance

The Osun State Government has warned members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Osun State University (UNIOSUN) branch, against creating what it termed “needless tension” over the tenure of the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Clement Odunayo Adebooye.

In a statement, the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the recent extension of tenure of Adebooye, which was as a result of an amendment to the law establishing UNIOSUN by the Osun State House of Assembly, followed due process and diligence.

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A Question of Authority

The statement maintained that no union or association had the right to dictate to the Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who is also the Visitor of UNIOSUN, on the governance and management of the university.

“It is also pertinent to state that the Governing Council remains the appropriate statutory organ for matters within its jurisdiction, just as the Visitor exercises the powers assigned to that office by the enabling framework of the University. Staff unions are important stakeholders, but they are not substitutes for these statutory organs,” the statement said.

A Call for Calm

The governor urged all members of the university community to refrain from actions, statements or mobilisations capable of creating needless tension in an institution that has remained focused on its core mandates of teaching, research, innovation and community service.

The government acknowledged that the governor respects the right of every recognised staff union of the institution to express its views on matters concerning the welfare and administration of UNIOSUN, but clarified that “the university is regulated by law and by the clearly defined statutory responsibilities of the Visitor, the Governing Council and other organs of the University.”

The Union’s Role

The statement further added that “ASUU, as a trade union, representing academic staff, has an important role to play in promoting the welfare and professional interests of its members.”

“However, that role does not confer upon the union the authority to determine, direct or substitute its judgment for the statutory responsibilities vested by law in the Visitor, the Governing Council or the Osun State House of Assembly,” it said.

Clarifying the Facts

The government said it considered it necessary to correct the impression that the decision concerning the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure was taken arbitrarily or outside the framework of due process.

“In the first place, the current tenure of the Vice Chancellor subsists until January 2027, so the government has not taken any retroactive decision with respect to the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor,” the statement clarified.

“Following the Visitor’s decision, the State Legislature commenced the process of amending the Osun State University Establishment Law to provide the necessary statutory framework for the tenure extension. The amendment was subsequently considered and passed by the House of Assembly after legislative consideration of the relevant provisions,” the statement concluded.

A Lesson for Nigeria

The UNIOSUN tenure dispute is a reminder that the battle for university autonomy is also a battle for institutional integrity.

The same politicians who appoint Vice-Chancellors will never allow their own children to be educated in institutions where governance is reduced to political patronage.

For Nigeria, the lesson is clear: university governance must be protected from political interference. The same leaders who defend these extensions will never allow their own children to be victims of arbitrary governance.

Protect university autonomy. Demand institutional integrity. And never forget that the future of Nigeria depends on the quality of its universities.