OSCATECH RECTORSHIP: ‘Maintain educational standard’— Group appeals to Makinde

A group of stakeholders — Society for Good Governance (SGG), Oyo Chapter, has appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to maintain educational standard by appointing new rector of OSCATECH on merit. 

This is coming weeks after some groups of stakeholders in Igboora and Ogbomoso/Oyo had written to Oyo State Governor to set aside merit for selection of Rector for the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora. 

Mouthpiece NGR understands that among 11 professors who jostled for the position, 3 persons were shortlisted including an Ibarapa born Professor Akinola Akinlabi from Chemistry department in FUNNAB whose area of expertise is not in any way related to Agriculture. 

The other two shortlisted were said to be lecturers from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, Professor Isiaka Adewale Emiola of the Department of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology and Professor Olajide Ajao of the Department of Agricultural Economics who came 2nd and 3rd, with 70 and 68% marks, respectively. 

The two groups from Igboora and Ogbomoso/Oyo in a separate press release are asking Governor Seyi Makinde to consider their sons by setting aside merit.

Ogbomoso/Oyo claimed that in the leadership position of all the tertiary institutions in the State, all the Zones have a relatively fair share of representation except for Oyo and Ogbomoso Zones. 

We view with dismay the request by Ogbomoso/Oyo Indigenes under the aegies of Ogbomoso Unity Forum directing Your Excellency to set aside merit in the selection of Rector for Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora as unwarranted. For the avoidance of doubt, appointment of Acting Rector is based on academic seniority among the lecturers in the school and not subject to external influence. This rendered all references to the present status of headship in tertiary institution invalid. 

Mouthpiece NGR also gathered that many stakeholders especially in Igboora had consistently taken on the commissioner of education on spurious allegation that he is mishandling the selection process and that his recent antics were aimed at paving way for his kinsman— Ogbomoso candidate. The global practice is to appoint leadership of tertiary institution based on the ability to deliver on the mandate of the institution. 

The observation that the skill set of Professor Akinola is grossly inadequate to head a specialized school such as Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora by the Commissioner is valid and should be commended. 

It is quite unfortunate that community groups are now acting as pressure group in the appointment of principal officers of our tertiary institution despite the inherent disadvantages. The action should be condemned out rightly and appropriate sanctions should apply to such community. The calls by some interest groups calling on the governor to appoint their kinsmen as rector of the institution is a flagrant display of ignorance as the institutions are not community school. It is pertinent to ask the petitioners to name an Ibadan man who has been Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan since 1948. 

The latest of the intrigues about the OSCATECH rectorship is the press release from the council of Ibarapa indigene CII in which Governor Makinde was persuaded to appoint an Ibarapa born as the next rector despite the fact that he is professionally incompetent to lead a college of Agriculture and knowing well that there is no Department of Chemistry in the institution. The group, CII is claiming that the commissioner for education is attempting to sabotage Governor Seyi Makinde’s pledge to make the processes transparent and merit-based. 

In the wake of the development, a group under the auspices of SGG, Oyo Chapter is appealing to Governor Makinde to maintain educational standard by appointing most qualified candidate for the position without any politically motivated intrigues or act of favor. 

The group, in a statement made available to Mouthpiece NGR on Saturday said when political factors such as ethnicity, religion, sectionalism, partisanship, catchment area, quota system and favouritism influence the appointment of principal officers of higher institutions, it will destroy the fabrics of educational standard,  mediocrity will enthroned and productivity is affected. 

It therefore called on Governor Makinde to go for merit by appointing the best candidate that will project the image of the institution and turn around its fortune to compete favourably with similar institutions within and outside the country as the next rector.