The Western Zone of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has issued a stern warning over what it described as a flawed and compromised investigation into an alleged sexual harassment case involving the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Professor Abayomi Sunday Fashina, and a Deputy Director, Engineer Folashade Adebayo.
In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday by Comrade Abdussobur Olayiwola Salaam, SSANU’s National Vice President and Chairman of the Western Zone, the union condemned the actions of FUOYE’s Governing Council, accusing it of shielding the Vice Chancellor while punishing those who spoke out.
“The Council’s actions were entirely predictable and disturbing. They have chosen to protect the accused while further victimising the victim,” SSANU declared.
“Yet, what did we expect? Can a cockroach be innocent in a gathering of fowls?”
According to the union, the Governing Council’s meeting on April 8, 2025, failed to fairly assess the allegations against Professor Fashina and instead turned its attention to discrediting key evidence and punishing whistleblowers.
SSANU noted that the Council refused to subject incriminating audio evidence to forensic analysis, even though the recordings captured the Vice Chancellor allegedly making romantic and coercive remarks towards Adebayo.
“We are shocked that the Council ignored the power imbalance between a Vice Chancellor and his subordinate, and saw nothing wrong in statements like: ‘I am dying for you; I will not leave you; Make me happy and I will make you happy… I will not accept your rejection,’” the union stated.
Rather than address the content of the audio recordings, SSANU said, the Council questioned the motives behind the recordings, accusing the victim of blackmail.
The union likened the Council’s response to blaming a homeowner for recording an attempted robbery.
SSANU also rejected the Council’s claim that no formal complaint of harassment had been made, calling it a “barefaced and brazen lie.”
The union further dismissed the credibility of a police report cited by the Council that reportedly cleared the Vice Chancellor, stating that the report came from the Special Fraud Unit and dealt only with financial matters — not the sexual harassment allegation at the heart of the controversy.
Additionally, the union condemned disciplinary actions taken against Engineer Adebayo and against FUOYE SSANU Branch Chairman and Secretary, Comrades Benjamin Faleye and Ayomikun Aluko.
“The demand for letters of apology within seven days is a clear attempt to silence and eventually dismiss them,” said Salaam.
Calling for immediate government intervention, SSANU demanded that the FUOYE Governing Council be dissolved and Professor Fashina suspended to allow for an impartial and independent investigation.
“The Governing Council has failed the integrity test and cannot continue in office. Their handling of this matter raises serious concerns about the credibility of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement said.
The union also urged the Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu Tunji Alausa, to intervene and called on relevant institutions — including the Ministry of Women Affairs, ICPC, NAPTIP, the National Human Rights Commission, and committees of the National Assembly — to step in and investigate the issue thoroughly.
SSANU concluded by announcing that it has begun mobilising its branches in the Western Zone across 26 universities for potential industrial action, warning that they would not back down until their demands were fully met.
“We shall not stop until our demands are met,” the union declared.
