By Wole Balogun
S.A media to VC
The Management of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), has faulted the claims by Sahara Reporters that a lecturer of the University, Dr. Olugbenga Adeyemi, was allegedly abducted by the police for allegedly planning to assassinate the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina.
Sahara Reporter in a shameful report entitled: “ Academic Union, ASUU Leader, Adeyemi Abducted From Lagos Home After Appeal Court Ordered Federal University, Oye-Ekiti To Reinstate Him,” told the world lies on October 7 that the police abducted Dr. Adeyemi at 2am on Saturday because he has concluded plans to assassinate the VC.
Unfortunately for this online news platform, this was not the truth about what actually happened. A press statement signed for the Management by the Senior Special Adviser to the VC, Dr. Adedayo Sobowale and was made available to newsmen on Monday, gave the clarification. The statement which was entitled: “FUOYE REACTS TO FALSE ALLEGATIONS ON ADEYEMI PUBLISHED BY SAHARA REPORTERS”, reads in part:”The attention of FUOYE management was drawn to a false allegation published by Sahara Reporters on Saturday, 7th October, 2023 against the management and the Vice-Chancellor of FUOYE on a matter concerning one of her former Staff, Dr. Ezekiel Olugbenga Adeyemi. It is highly disappointing and disheartening that a media platform such as Sahara Reporters can play to the gallery by stooping so low to publish false information about a Federal Government institution based on hearsay and assumption, thereby misleading the innocent public. Professional Journalism is expected to be performed with dignity and decorum and not to conspire with certain personalities to misrepresent and defame well-meaning Nigerians before the eyes of a right-thinking individual.
An excerpt from the publication of Sahara Reporters stated thus;
“Dr. Ezekiel Olugbenga Adeyemi, one of the leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Federal University of Technology, Oye Ekiti was abducted in his house in Lagos at 2.00 this morning and driven to Ado, Ekiti State. The allegation against him is that he has concluded arrangements to assassinate the Vice Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina.”
To put the record straight, the life of the Vice-Chancellor is not under any threat of assassination as wrongly alleged by Sahara Reporters neither did the Vice-Chancellor petition any police station on threat to his life by any member of staff or anybody whatsoever. Sahara Reporters should therefore explain to the public where they got this false information to mislead the public and misrepresent the person of the Vice-Chancellor in this cheap blackmail.
On Adeyemi’s saga, he was involved with fraudulent act and financial misappropriation because he collected TETFUND grants running to millions of naira to carry out research and production of books, which he refused to implement nor refund the sum of money back to the government coffers. Therefore, the hands of the law got caught up with him based on this heinous crime.
It is therefore scandalous that Sahara Reporters can be engaged as a platform to misrepresent and mislead the innocent public on such a sensitive issue.”
