OAU Vice Chancellorship: Ife Indigenes Must Be Crazy, Wole Soyinka Rants
- In the backdrop of the unveiling of Professor Adebayo Bamire as the new Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), indigenes trooped out to protest against his appointment
- Indigenes were insistent that the new Vice-Chancellor of the renowned institution must be an indigene of the host community
- These protests led to the management of the institution halting academic and administrative activities following an invasion by angry protesters
Professor Wole Soyinka has slammed indigenes of Ile Ife, in Osun state over their continuous outcry demanding that the Vice Chancellorship position of the renowned Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) must be from the state.
PM News reports that the 1986 Nobel Prize winner for literature labeled their actions as being crazy.
Source: Depositphotos
Soyinka who is an ex-lecturer at the institution made this known on Wednesday, March 23 during a conversation with his contemporary, Professor Wale Adebanwi.
Legit.ng gathered that there have been a series of protests and agitations from locales of Ile Ife one of which led to an invasion into the school premises following the announcement of Professor Adebayo Bamire as the 12th substantive Vice-Chancellor of OAU.
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OAU halts academic activities over protest
It was gathered that the invasion prompted the school to halt academic and administrative activities to ensure the safety of the OAU community.
The outrage from indigenes of the host community got extremely heightened as they shut down two major gates leading to the university.
In a statement issued by the management of OAU, it was gathered that protesters vandalized properties in the school premises and also attacked teaching and non-teaching staff of the institution.
Soyinka while reacting to the incident says perpetrators of such ugly scenes should be punished while urging other indigenes who do not share the same sentiments to step up confront the evil perpetrators.
He said:
“An Ife person wrote me and say, look at these people disgracing us. I told him to go there and disgrace them. You are an Ife person. You should be in the front line.
“The Ife people should say those people don’t belong to us, we don’t know where they came from. And they should be dealt with ruthlessly. Why should there be an Ife VC anywhere? I just don’t understand what they put in the water these days. It is crazy.”
Singer 2Baba donates world class recording studio to OAU
In another development, legendary Nigerian singer, Innocent Idibia also known as 2Baba recently donated a world class recording studio to Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)
The donation was made to the school of music of the great institution following his induction into the school of music.
2Baba used his record label, Hypertek Digital Instagram handle to make the announcement and share moments from the studio unveiling.
Court commences trial of suspected killers of OAU student
Osun state high court sitting in Oke-fia has commenced the trial of suspected killers of an OAU student known as Timothy Adegoke.
The court will also trial six other suspect who were said to be accomplices of the crime as they will all be brought before the judge.
The deceased, Adegoke was master student at Obafemi Awolowo when he mysteriously died with the prime suspect being Dr Rahmon Adedoyin, the owner of Hilton Hotel and Resort, Ile-Ife.
Source: Legit.ng
