By Fawaz Adebisi
The staff of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti (BOUSTI) have written to the governor of Ekiti State, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, to complain about the alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of the university’s funds by the vice chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Victor Adeoluwa and the bursar, Mr. Babatunde Apata.
The workers urged the governor and the anti-corruption agencies to investigate the financial activities of the two officers and conduct a forensic audit of the university’s accounts to determine the extent of the financial irregularities.
In a petition that was made public to journalists in Ado Ekiti, they accused the vice chancellor and the bursar of being dictatorial, incompetent, autocratic, and blackmailing.
They said that their actions had negatively affected the growth and development of the university and caused a lot of hardship for the staff.
The vice chancellor did not answer his phone or reply to text messages when he was contacted for his reaction.
The university’s spokesman, Mr Temitope Akinbosoye, dismissed the allegations as baseless and fabricated by malicious elements.
Akinbosoye said that the university would respond to the allegations at the appropriate time.
The workers alleged that despite the increased funding of the university since its upgrade from a college to a university, the welfare of the staff had not improved as the vice chancellor and the bursar had diverted such funds for their personal use.
They said, “It is shocking that the university is still struggling with unpaid salaries even though the university made over N1 billion in just one session.
A university that has such a huge income should not have any problem with running its affairs.
“The university is not functioning well because of the irresponsibility of Prof. Olufemi Victor Adeoluwa and Mr. Babatunde Apata. They owe the staff all the arrears of 2018 and 2019 promotion.”
