Professor Popoola was appointed the Vice
Chancellor by the state Governor, Mr Rauf
Aregbesola.
[IMG]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CwhwF2eWIAAKOwj.jpg:small[/IMG]
A statement by the spokesman for the
Governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, says the
appointment takes effect immediately.
Mr Okanlawon said Governor Aregbesola
approved the appoint following the
recommendations of the council of the
institution.
Born on September 28, 1960, Professor
Popoola hails from Inis In Osun State and
worked at the Department Of forest
Resources Management, University of
Ibadan, Oyo State.
The new VC would take over from
Professor Jellies Oguntola Alamu who has
been at the helm of affairs as acting VC
since last year.
Meanwhile, reactions have begun to trail
the appointment of the new VC.
One of the applicants for the vacant post
of Vice Chancellor of Osun State
University, Professor Andrew Akinmoladun,
has petitioned Governor Aregbesola,
alleging that there was a plot to skew the
selection process of the new VC for the
institution to favour a particular candidate.
Professor Akinmoladun, a founding
academic staff of the University, who left
the institution in 2012 for Bronx
Community College of the City University
of New York, United States of America, in
a letter addressed to Governor Aregbesola,
said he applied for the job, when it was
advertised last year August.
Professor Akinmoladun said he decided to
apply for the post because he met all the
requirements.
According to him, he had travelled down to
Nigeria from his base in the U.S. purposely
to attend interview for the post of Vice
Chancellor.
He, however, alleged that some elements
within the university conspired and
ensured he did not get shortlisted despite
possessing all the requirements stated in
the advert.
The letter, copies of which were obtained
by reporters in Osogbo read: “I received a
response to my application from the
institution through the registrar, intimating
me of scheduled dates of Wednesday, 2nd
and Thursday, 3rd November, 2016
respectively for the interview of
candidates.
“I immediately boarded the plane from New
York to Nigeria to make myself available
for the next procedure. On my arrival, I
heard that a professor from within the
university has been adopted as
government candidate and that he held a
meeting with the UNIOSUN internal
member and persuaded them to make sure
I was not shortlisted because of my ICT
and international exposure.
“The said professor was also reported to
have said that when professor Okesina
was to be picked as vice chancellor, it was
an Ijesa man that came first and he was
passed over to favour the man that
eventually got the job and expressed fear
that it would be difficult to persuade the
governor to do the same this time around,
if I should be interviewed and I passed.
“He feared that the consultant and external
council member would score me high and
if the internal members scored me very low
their scores would be questioned.
“I confronted one of those named to be
part of the meeting and he did not deny,
but asked me who revealed it to me. I
made my concern known to hon. Wale
Afolabi the former Anthony General of
state of Osun who happened to be a
friend. I also discussed this matter with
notable friends within academic and the
government circle, who can corroborate all
these claims.
“It suffice to state that some candidates
for the position were contacted and
interviewed on Wednesday, 2nd November,
2016 and other candidates were also
contacted to appear for interview on
Thursday, 3rd November, 2016.
“Surprisingly I was never contacted for the
two scheduled dates. I want to strongly
state that the conduct and selection
process so far is embellished with
irregularities and discrepancies.
“Due process and transparency was never
followed in the conduct and selection
process but that everything was selfishly
and hurriedly done just to pick and
announce as already pencilled down
candidate”.
