A mild drama ensued on the premises of Osun State University main campus, Osogbo, on Friday as Workers of the University staged a mock funeral celebration to send off the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof Labode Popoola whom they described as a tyrant administrator.
The members of staff of the university gathered at their Osogbo campus as early as 10:00am and celebrated the exit of Popoola amid dancing, singing and frying of bean cake.
It was dramatic as students of the institution watched the workers who used brooms to sweep from the school Vice-Chancellor’s office to the school gate. They later ate the bean cake as a sign of farewell to Popoola.
The staff, who are members of the three unions including the Non-academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), argued that Popoola’s tenure was not palatable and that his five years tenure was filled with injustice, corruption, nepotism, impunity, abuse of office and illegalities.
They hung a banner on the Senate Building of the campus bearing the picture of Popoola and inscriptions such as “With gratitude to God, the entire staff of Osun State University celebrate the inglorious exit of a mischievous tyrant, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Labode Popoola. He will be fondly remembered for lies, mischiefs, high-handedness, arrogance, divide and rule, power drunkenness, corruption, abuse of office, power intoxication, fetishism, sadism, witch hunting, nepotism, illegalities, among others.”
The jubilant workers expressed joy for the exit of Popoola who left office officially on Thursday and urged the newly appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adefemi Bello, to right the alleged wrongs of Popoola.
Addressing the workers, the Chairman of NASU, Comrade Isaiah Fayemi, disclosed that Popoola interdicted workers for protesting against his alleged corrupt practices adding that the Chairman of Joint Action Committee of the university, Comrade Lekan Adiat and dive others are currently interdicted.
“Popoola is a VC that came and used his position to victimise us, to withhold our salaries, and that is why we are celebrating his exit. We are happy that he is gone and gone forever. One of the reasons why we have gathered to celebrate his exit is for everyone to learn lessons and for those in positions of authority, that if you do good, you will be celebrated and if you do bad, like Popoola did, you will be condemned. We expect the newly appointed VC to do well. We started this university together,” Fayemi said.
