…..Declare her unwanted personality at Owo Poly Campus, urge Aiyedatiwa to Appoint New Council Chairman.
By: Our Reporter
Business and academic activities were paralysed on Tuesday as workers of the Ondo State owned tertiary institution, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, RUGIPO staged a protest against the Acting Chairman of the Governing Council of the school, Dr (Mrs) Olubunmi Omoniyi.
The workers which comprised all the three major unions in the school, Senior Staff Association Of Polytechnics, SSANIP, Academic Staff Union Of Polytechnics, ASUP and Non Academic Staff Union, NASU, matched through the school, carrying placards and ended the protest at the school’s gate, where some leaders of the unions addressed members of the press as they disclosed their agitations and demands to the government and members of the public.
The union leaders called for the appointment of new chairman for the governing council for the school to move forward.
Some of the placards read; “We don’t recognise Acting Council Chairman”, “No to Council Meeting in Akure”, “Staff of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo are not SLAVES. We deserve our rights to LIVE”.
Addressing journalists during the protest, one of the union leaders, Comrade Aro Julius, disclosed that the mood of the angry workers of the state owned tertiary institution do not want the Acting Chairman as it was not known in the school edict.
According to him, the position of an Acting Chairman is illegal according to the school’s staff edict.
“We have already made our position to Mr Governor. Dr (Mrs) Olubunmi Omoniyi is not representing our interest. This is the first time we are rejecting a Chairman of the Governing Council. The three unions leaders have taken their stand against her and made their position known to the government”.
“Her position as an Acting Chairman of the school’s Governing Board is not known the staff edit and therefore it is illegal”.
“Aside from her occupying the post illegally she has also committed evil against the school. With only three months of her coming to office, she has been siphoning the school’s money, reduced the school’s purse, our commonwealth”.
“She said the school has no money, although it is true that we don’t have money but the little we have, is being allegedly wasted on governing council meetings and sitting allowance” We don’t want her again”.
“Our protest is to tell the Governor (Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa), our position and he should please approve our agitation and request of changing the Council Chairman.
“We are also using this opportunity to thank the Governor for what he has done for us. As an Acting Governor, he raised three months salary for us and as the substantive governor now, he raised another three months salary for us again. We are in total support of his aspiration. We will support him to achieve this”.
In the same vein, the chairman of SSANIP, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo Chapter, Comrade Nurudeen Olokungboye, said the protest is not against the governing council but against the Acting Chairman, Mrs Omoniyi.
Olokungboye said, “the unions are not against the Council or its members but against an individual, it is against one person, Dr Olubunmi Omonoyi. she has perpetrated wrongdoing against our school.
“December 23, 2023, all the workers of this school came together and sent a message to the government on how she was allegedly misusing the school money, how she was employing people illegally.
“We have declared her a persona non grata. We heard that she wants to come to this place tomorrow (wednesday), if she decided to come against our advice not to come, we will make this place uncomfortable for her.
“She is an outcast here, she is an alien at RUGIPO”.
Similarly, the immediate past Caretaker Chairman of SSANIP, Alhaji Nafiudeen Okoro, said that the Acting Chairman has been rejected all the workers and should stop parading herself as such.
Okoro also demanded that the Acting Chairman should return the school’s vehicle which she has turned to her personal belonging.
Speaking with newsmen few months ago in Akure, Mrs Omoniyi denied all the allegations of mismanaging the institution’s resources.
