MURIC Raises Alarm Over Appointments, Administrative Processes at FUNATO

MURIC Raises Alarm Over Appointments, Administrative Processes at FUNATO

 

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Oyo State Chapter, has expressed concern over recent appointments and administrative procedures at the newly established Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Okeho (FUNATO), calling for transparency, fairness and inclusiveness in the institution’s operations.

 

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the State Secretary of the group, Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade, MURIC said although the establishment of the university by the Federal Government was widely welcomed as a major educational breakthrough for the Oke-Ogun region and Oyo State, certain developments within the institution had raised concerns among stakeholders.

 

The group commended the Federal Government for creating FUNATO, describing the institution as a long-awaited intervention expected to expand access to higher education and promote development in the region. However, it alleged that some recent administrative decisions under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olaniyi Jacob Babayemi, had generated questions over equity and balanced representation.

 

According to the statement, the appointments of several academics into strategic positions, including Professor Emmanuel Adegbenga Adekoya, Professor Egbeyale, Professor Godwin Olutona, Professor Ojoawo and Professor Awodoyin as Deans of different faculties, had sparked concerns among sections of the university community.

While acknowledging the professional competence and academic qualifications of those appointed, MURIC argued that the processes leading to the appointments lacked sufficient transparency and inclusiveness.

 

The organization also raised objections to the conduct of the recent resource verification exercise reportedly carried out by the National Universities Commission (NUC). According to MURIC, the exercise was allegedly compressed into a single day and conducted without adequate communication to stakeholders, thereby excluding many qualified participants.

 

The group further alleged that many of the subsequent appointments within the university appeared to have emerged from a narrow pool of participants involved in the exercise, a development it said had created concerns about fairness, equal opportunity and institutional balance.

 

MURIC also expressed worry over what it described as disproportionate representation along religious lines in the appointment of Deans and Heads of Departments within the university.

 

The organization stressed that FUNATO, being a federal institution, should reflect Nigeria’s diversity in line with the federal character principle, warning against any form of religious or sectional domination at the formative stage of the university.

 

“MURIC’s intervention is not motivated by bias or favoritism but by the need to uphold justice, due process, equity and inclusiveness, which are necessary for institutional credibility and national unity,” the statement said.

 

The group therefore called on the Governing Council of FUNATO, the NUC, the Federal Ministry of Education and other critical stakeholders, including traditional rulers and community leaders in Oke-Ogun, to urgently investigate and review all appointments and administrative processes carried out so far within the institution.

 

It also stated that it would continue to monitor developments at the university to ensure that the institution remains committed to its federal mandate and does not become a platform for religious or sectional dominance.

 

MURIC concluded by warning that the integrity and future of FUNATO must not be compromised at its early stage, insisting that transparency, fairness and inclusiveness must guide all administrative actions in order to position the institution as a symbol of excellence, unity and national development.

 

 

MURIC Raises Alarm Over Appointments, Administrative Processes at FUNATO