The Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) was thrown into tension on Monday as students, youth leaders, and staff staged a peaceful protest against the institution’s management, alleging corruption, abuse of office, and moral misconduct.
The protest was organised by the Ekiti State Chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and supported by the Association of Southern Nigeria Youth Congress (ASNYC). The demonstration, which disrupted academic and administrative activities on campus, called for the suspension of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina and the removal of the Governing Council Chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN).
Placards carried by protesters bore messages such as “Enough of corruption in FUOYE” and “Moral decay under Prof. Fasina is killing our morale.”
Addressing reporters, NYCN Chairman James Bankole described the situation as a “monumental crisis threatening to destroy FUOYE,” accusing the university’s leadership of operating a “calculated conspiracy of corruption, financial recklessness, and moral decay.”
“The Governing Council has been weaponised for self-enrichment and impunity. This is not governance; it is a brazen financial scavenging operation,” Bankole alleged.
He further accused the Council Chairman of relocating meetings and the ongoing Vice-Chancellorship selection process to Abuja in violation of ministerial directives — a move he described as “financial sabotage against the Nigerian state.”
The youth leaders also demanded:
Immediate suspension of Prof. Fasina;
Removal of Senator Ndoma-Egba;
A forensic audit of FUOYE’s finances; and
An independent investigation into alleged cases of sexual harassment involving senior lecturers.
“We will not leave until every single demand is met,” Bankole declared, announcing that NYCN and ASNYC would relocate their headquarters temporarily to the FUOYE campus until their demands receive attention.
Prior to Monday’s protest, the FUOYE Students’ Union Government (SUG) had warned against any unauthorised gathering on campus. In a statement signed by SUG President James Adio, General Secretary Ayorinde Alao, and Public Relations Officer David Abiola, the union urged the NYCN to desist from actions that could disrupt academic activities.
The statement, titled “Letter of Resistance and Warning Against National Youth Council of Nigeria Protest Within FUOYE,” accused NYCN of planning to “turn FUOYE into a theatre of protests and unrest.”
As of press time, the university authorities and the Governing Council had not issued any official statement regarding the allegations. Efforts by The Legal Observer News to reach the Vice-Chancellor’s media aide, Dr. Wole Balogun, were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the protest adds to a growing list of petitions submitted to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Education, and anti-graft agencies, alleging large-scale corruption and administrative misconduct at FUOYE.
In October, the university management had cautioned the leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) on campus against what it described as “malicious propaganda” targeting the Vice-Chancellor. The institution alleged that the union’s statements were politically motivated ahead of the forthcoming Ekiti State governorship election
