When Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole assumed office as the fifth substantive Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) in February this year, expectations were naturally high. Every new administration comes with the promise of fresh ideas, renewed vigour and a distinct vision for moving the institution forward. Stakeholders looked forward to a new chapter that would consolidate on past gains while charting new frontiers of academic excellence, infrastructural growth and institutional peace.
Barely months into the administration, however, conversations within the university community appear to be dominated by an entirely different narratives. Rather than discussions about groundbreaking initiatives, research expansion, improved staff welfare, enhanced learning facilities or strategic partnerships, the atmosphere has become increasingly consumed by investigations, panels, suspensions, queries and disciplinary actions. There is no disputing the fact that accountability is essential in any institution. No serious-minded leader should condone corruption, abuse of office or extortion. Indeed, transparency and due process are indispensable ingredients for sustainable development. Yet, accountability must be pursued in a manner that strengthens institutions rather than creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.
Recent developments have fuelled concerns among many within and outside the university. At a recent Senate session, the Vice-Chancellor reportedly announced a forensic audit covering the affairs of the immediate past administration from 2021 to date. Different committees and panels have emerged, with many members of staff allegedly feeling that they are being targeted because of their association with the immediate past administration. The suspension and removal of senior officers, students’ leader and Director, frequent queries to the University Bursar and what some describe as an atmosphere of incessant witch-hunt have further heightened anxiety across the institution.
Students have not been insulated from the unfolding developments. The rustication of students following an incident involving scrap scavengers who allegedly entered a private hostel has generated debates and differing opinions, with many wondering whether the punishment matched the offence. What is perhaps more troubling to many stakeholders is not necessarily the determination of the new administration to sanitize the system, but the seeming absence of visible developmental milestones that would define its early months in office. The university community is asking a legitimate question: beyond probes and disciplinary measures, where is the vision? Where are the programmes aimed at strengthening research output and attracting grants? Where are the initiatives that will improve the learning environment, boost staff morale and deepen collaborations with industry? What are the plans for infrastructure, digital transformation and internationalization? How soon will students and staff begin to feel the impact of the new administration in tangible ways?
Universities are not built on fear; they are built on ideas. They thrive on stability, trust and a shared sense of purpose. Great Vice-Chancellors are remembered not for the number of queries they issued or the panels/ committees they established, but for the legacies they left behind; the structures they built, the opportunities they created, the peace they fostered and the excellence they inspired. No administration inherits a perfect system, equally, no administration inherits an institution devoid of achievements. Progress is best sustained through continuity, reforms and collective ownership, not through the wholesale demonization of the past.
As FUOYE navigates this transitional phase, many stakeholders hope that the current administration will gradually shift from a posture that appears largely corrective to one that is visionary, developmental and inclusive. Fighting corruption and enforcing discipline are noble causes, but they are means to an end, not ends in themselves. The ultimate test of leadership is not how effectively one investigates yesterday, but how boldly one builds tomorrow.
The Federal University Oye-Ekiti deserves an atmosphere where discipline coexists with compassion, accountability with fairness, and reforms with unity. Above all, it deserves leadership whose greatest legacy will not be the fear it inspired, but the future it secured. For, in the end, history remembers builders more than prosecutors.
