The Oyo State Government says the it has not sacked LAUTECH VC, Prof Olufisayo Ologunde but rather he was oredered to step aside pending the outcome of investigations levelled against him.
The government also described the reactions to Governor Seyi Makinde’s order for the LAUTECH VC to step aside as over the top and wrongly misconstrued by members of the public as a vendetta.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye made this disclosure to journalists on Monday while speaking on behalf of the Oyo State Government, revealing that the letter sent to the VC had only asked him to step aside and that he was not sacked.
The Commissioner further explained that the press release was deliberately vague about the Governor’s reasons for asking the Vice Chancellor to step aside, adding that the VC had already got all the reasons explained to him in the letter he got.
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Olaleye also refused to disclose the government’s reasons for sending the directive, only further reiterating that Governor Makinde’s decision was not a vendetta as was speculated in some quarters.
He shared that LAUTECH’s Governing Council will further investigate the allegations leveled against the VC in the letter addressed to him, adding that the Council’s findings will determine what actions will be taken after that.
In his words: “The Governor only directed the embattled VC to step aside, he was not sacked, our reason for not disclosing details of the allegations in our press release was deliberate.
“We cannot say because the Governing Council is yet to resume then we will look the other way and allow the institution suffer, that was why he was directed to step aside pending investigations into allegations leveled against him, and in due time the Governing Council will act based on revelations from their investigations.
“We are not unmindful of the establishment laws of the institution and we have not acted outside of our powers as government, so it is not a vendetta against the former VC,” Olaleye said.
Meanwhile, the embattled LAUTECH VC, Professor Olufisayo Ologunde, has admitted that he has accepted Governor Seyi Makinde’s decision and directed any further questions to LAUTECH’s Public Relations Officer.
