Exclusive! Crisis Looms In UI Over Leadership, Group Calls For First Muslim VC After 72 Years
The race to the appointment of the 13th Vice-Chancellor has just commenced in the nation’s premier university, University of Ibadan amidst tensions and strange feelings.
An investigation by worldtopnewsng.com revealed that no Muslim has ever become the Vice-Chancellor of the Premier University since it was founded in January 1948.
A Concerned Islamic Rights Group in a statement made available to worldtopnewsng.com has also raised concerns about the uncertainty of who becomes the new VC of the Premier University of Ibadan.
The group alleged that the parochial interest of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, is the crux of the matter, stressing he is deliberately paving ways to ensure that, another Christian emerges.
The statement below:
”What is strange in the current process is the deep involvement of the outgoing VC. He has deliberately promoted ethnicity and religion in the contest. Several clannish groups have started addressing press conferences to drum support for their ethnic origins. The most delicate one is the campaign along religious affiliations”.
“The e-voting strategy is being manipulated by the VC to garner advantage for his preferred candidate, the current Deputy VC Administration”.
There was an election to select congregation representatives at Senate and the results were quite astonishing. Out of a list of 152, only 2 are Muslims. The plan to oppress Muslims and prevent any of the Muslim candidates from occupying the VC seat was perfected through the e-voting manipulation to produce a pre-determined result.
“The manipulated and predetermined e-voting result in the university has clandestinely eliminated Muslims from the highest academic body where important decisions are taken”
“We think and believe that this should interest all lovers of justice and equal rights. This was never the case before and has never been so in the University of Ibadan, but the current powers that be have vowed to suppress Islam and Muslims. This has the potential for throwing up inter religious crises which had long been suppressed in the university”
“It is on record that most of the supporters of the outgoing VC in 2015 were Muslims. They supported him even against a strong Muslim contender. Sadly, however, the ongoing process in UI has been conceived to favour a particular candidate. We are hereby calling on the Federal Government to intervene now as a matter of urgency before crises break out”
“The congregation election should be investigated and set aside. The VC should be prevented from using electronic voting for the remaining election because it is no longer trustworthy and credible”
A stitch in time……,
Concerned Islamic Rights Group
