Abayomi Mighty has taken a firm and uncompromising stance on the recent scandal rocking the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). In solidarity with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), he has openly condemned the actions of the university’s Governing Council and Vice Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Fashina, over what he describes as a clear miscarriage of justice and a blatant cover-up of unethical conduct.
Reacting to the detailed press release issued by the Western Zone of SSANU on April 10, 2025, Abayomi aligns with the union’s assertion that the Governing Council’s decision not only victimizes the whistleblower, Engineer Folashade Adebayo, but also dangerously normalizes abuse of office. The governing body’s failure to sanction the Vice Chancellor despite overwhelming audio evidence is, according to Abayomi, “an open slap to integrity and morality in Nigeria’s university system”.
SSANU’s statement exposed disturbing utterances made by the VC in private conversations with a subordinate. Phrases like “I will not accept your rejection,” “I am dying for you,” and “make me happy and I’ll make you happy,” paint a picture of unrelenting sexual pressure from a position of authority. Abayomi described the Council’s attempt to trivialize this as blackmail rather than abuse as “a wicked reversal of justice where the victim becomes the accused.”
Backing the call for the immediate dissolution of the Governing Council, Abayomi echoed SSANU’s position that its members have failed the integrity test and no longer represent the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “They have become merchants of compromise,” he said, referring to allegations that the council members received contracts and cash incentives to back the VC.
Further reacting to a coalition petition to the Minister of Education, Abayomi reiterated that “the floodgate of corruption, intimidation, and unethical management practices at FUOYE must not be allowed to drown Nigeria’s public education system.” The civil society document listed dozens of allegations against the VC, including bribery, sexual harassment, fraudulent promotions, and financial misappropriation leading to the depletion of the university’s account from ₦2.5 billion to a mere ₦150 million.
“The academic environment has become unsafe for staff, especially women,” Abayomi emphasized. He cited reports that another female law lecturer has taken the VC to court over a similar harassment case, reinforcing the union’s argument that the pattern of abuse is systemic under Prof. Fashina’s leadership.
Abayomi did not spare the governing council’s chairman, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), accusing him of being complicit in covering up rot. “How can a governing council chaired by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria ignore forensic investigations and evidence-backed testimonies while requesting an apology from the victim?” he queried.
He further lambasted the extravagant spending by the university’s leadership, especially the recent ₦250 million trip to Kigali, Rwanda, calling it “a national embarrassment” in a period of economic hardship. “When diesel cannot be bought to power classrooms, the VC and his cronies are junketing abroad,” he said with vehemence.
In defending SSANU leaders Comrades Benjamin Faleye and Ayomikun Aluko—who face dismissal threats for whistle-blowing—Abayomi described the action of the Council as “a classic case of punishing integrity.” He rejected the Council’s demand for an apology within seven days as “blackmail and cowardly suppression of dissent”.
According to a Sahara Reporters article, SSANU has begun mobilizing 26 universities in the Western Zone for a possible industrial action, an action Abayomi fully supports. He warned that “if the Federal Government remains silent, this scandal will escalate into a national crisis”.
He also responded to the Platform Times and FIJ reports revealing that the VC not only attempted to influence students and journalists with bribes but also manipulated the university’s admission and promotion processes to favor cronies and intimidate critics.
Reacting to the Punch Newspaper’s coverage, Abayomi called out the hypocrisy in the university’s claim that no formal complaint of sexual harassment was made, saying, “Isn’t an audio confession enough? Or do we need a corpse before we acknowledge violence?”.
Condemning what SSANU described as a “climate of fear,” Abayomi rejected reports that FUOYE staff are being forced to denounce their union’s national body. “This is tyranny wrapped in academic robes. Universities are not detention camps,” he asserted.
Finally, Abayomi called on the Honourable Ministers of Education and Women Affairs, the ICPC, NAPTIP, NUC, National Human Rights Commission, and the National Assembly to act swiftly. “A panel must be constituted immediately, the VC suspended, the Council dissolved, and the university sanitized,” he demanded, affirming SSANU’s rallying cry: “An injury to one is an injury to all”.
