The management of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State on Wednesday said that allegations of corruption, by a group, against the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, were baseless, untrue and a mere figment of the protesters and their sponsors’ imaginations.
A group under the auspices of the Coalition of Ondo State Indigenes Against Corruption on Tuesday alleged that Fatusi was involved in some corrupt practices in the administration of the institution and asked Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to sack him.
However, the institution in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Protocols, Mr. Isaac Oluyi, said the claimants are nothing but agents of destabilisation.
The statement stressed that the exploits of the Vice-Chancellor in the last four years and four months have continuously put the university on a progressive trajectory and must not be halted by the paid protesters.
"This development is not new. As far back as 2016 under the leadership of the pioneer VC of the University, there had been spurious allegations bordering on high-handedness, and lopsidedness in appointment, among others by faceless protesters who operate under different unrecognized associations to distract the institution from concentrating on what matters.
"To corroborate this, Professor Okonofua, a detribalized Nigerian from Edo State, the pioneer VC of UNIMED, Ondo stated on page 271 of his book titled Squeezing Water out of Stone that "Despite our use of transparency approach to governance, rumour-mongering and petitions still featured repeatedly, especially by disgruntled staff in connivance with greedy stakeholders whose evil intentions were not entertained in the university.
"It is therefore not surprising to see the deployment of the stock-in-trade method of these hirelings disguising themselves as stakeholders in the affairs of the university again. It's a familiar terrain. We must however not allow this to fester in the best interest of the university. Hence, the need to set the records straight.
"Universities, the world over, are to teach, research and do meaningful community service that will translate to sustainable development. This has been done excellently well by the leadership of Professor Adesegun Fatusi to the admiration of all.
"Specifically, the University, in terms of courses, has become a one-stop institution for all health sciences and medically-related courses. This is because more courses increase the potential for more students, more resources, greater impact in the health and medical world, greater visibility and greater contribution to the development of Ondo City and Ondo State, among others", the statement said.
It further noted that despite challenging infrastructural deficits and limited resources, the audacious mindset of the VC and his management has enabled the University to start the first Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation in West Africa, operationalized the dream of the first full-fledged school of Public Health in Nigeria and with its five departments and five Interdisciplinary centres, amongst other achievements.
"In fact on staff employment and denial of opportunities to indigenes, facts and figures are there for all to see. Of the 307 junior staff in the employment of UNIMED as of December 2023, 235 (76.5%) are from Ondo State. Only four out of the 307 (1.3%) are from Ogun State, the state of origin of the VC. It needs to be added that not a single person among the four is from the VC's Local Government Area - Ado-Odo/Ota!
"As for the academic and/or senior non-academic staff, merit, competence and quality have been adopted to attract the best hands to the university who can help in accomplishing the vision of the institution. This does not exclude the indigenes too. One then begins to wonder about the source of this spurious allegation about employing people from his state. The allegation is reductionist as university system is being seen as a place that is for all-comers, whether they are qualified or not. This is indeed very sad!"
The institution noted that "successive governments from Governor Olusegun Mimiko whose administration established the university in December 2014 to Arakunrin Akeredolu to the current governor have demonstrated their understanding of what a university is and should be - an environment where people from diverse academic backgrounds, orientations, creeds and tribes cross-fertilize ideas intending to impact the society at large positively.
"For the umpteenth time, we invite the public to know that the allegations are baseless, untrue and a mere figment of the protesters and their sponsors’ imaginations. In not too distant future, we will address a press conference to showcase the achievements of Professor Adesegun Fatusi to the world. A goldfish has no hiding place. No one can soil the reputation of this man of integrity."
