Osun State Govt: Defends Adeleke UNIOSUN VC Tenure Extension Amid ASUU Row

• The Osun State Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are in dispute over a two-year tenure extension for UNIOSUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye.
• ASUU declared Governor Adeleke's extension violated university law and mandated its UNIOSUN branch to mobilize against it.
• The government asserts the decision was within Governor Adeleke's Visitor powers and was backed by an amendment to the Osun State University Establishment Law passed by the State House of Assembly.
• ASUU has formed a visitation team to engage university authorities and the Visitor within two weeks to address the tenure extension.
• The government cautioned against creating institutional instability, emphasizing that the university is governed by its enabling law, not union interpretations.

This dispute highlights the legal complexities surrounding university governance in Nigeria, particularly concerning Vice-Chancellor tenure extensions and the interplay between state legislative amendments, existing university laws, and union agreements.

The Osun State Government has called for calm within the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) community amidst a growing dispute concerning the two-year tenure extension granted to the institution's Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye. This appeal comes as the national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has openly challenged the decision, leading to heightened tensions. The government, through a statement issued by Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment Kolapo Alimi, explicitly rejected ASUU's objections to the extension for Prof. Clement Adebooye UNIOSUN.

ASUU's opposition crystallized following an emergency National Executive Council meeting held in Abuja on Saturday, September 5. During this meeting, the union formally declared that Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke's decision to extend Prof. Adebooye's term by two years constituted a violation of the university's established legal framework. This declaration set the stage for a significant Nigerian university VC tenure dispute, highlighting the complexities of university governance.

In response to ASUU's challenge, the Osun State Government robustly defended its actions, emphasizing that the decision regarding the Adeleke UNIOSUN VC tenure extension was neither arbitrary nor outside due process. The government clarified that the Vice-Chancellor's current term is set to conclude in January 2027, underscoring that the extension does not involve any retroactive application. Governor Adeleke, in his capacity as the Visitor to Osun State University, made the decision, which the government asserts falls squarely within his constitutional and statutory responsibilities.

Crucially, the government highlighted a subsequent legislative intervention by the Osun State House of Assembly. Following the Visitor's decision, the state legislature initiated a process to amend the Osun State University Establishment Law. This amendment was specifically designed to provide the necessary statutory framework for the tenure extension. The Osun State House of Assembly subsequently considered and passed the amendment, thereby providing legal backing for the Governor Adeleke Visitor powers in this context. The government firmly stated that it is inaccurate to suggest the Visitor acted in isolation or disregarded the university's governing framework, given that the competent legislative authority exercised its constitutional function to amend the enabling law.

Following its declaration, ASUU issued a mandate to its UNIOSUN branch, instructing it to mobilize and respond "courageously" to what the union described as a "flagrant violation of the Miscellaneous Act as amplified in the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement." To further press its case, ASUU also constituted a visitation team. This team has been tasked with engaging directly with the UNIOSUN administration, its Governing Council, and the Visitor within a two-week timeframe, specifically to address the perceived infraction concerning the two-year extension of the Vice-Chancellor's tenure.

The Osun State Government, while acknowledging the right of staff unions to express their views, cautioned against any attempts to foster an atmosphere of crisis, illegality, or institutional instability around a matter that has undergone appropriate governmental and legislative processes. It reiterated that the university's operations are governed by its enabling law, not by the unilateral interpretations of any union or pressure group. The government underscored that no staff union, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, possesses the statutory authority to dictate how the Visitor or the Governing Council should exercise powers lawfully vested in them, further noting that the Governing Council remains the appropriate statutory organ for matters within its jurisdiction. This dispute highlights the legal complexities surrounding university governance in Nigeria, particularly concerning Vice-Chancellor tenure extensions and the interplay between state legislative amendments, existing university laws, and union agreements.

This development highlights the legal complexities surrounding university governance in Nigeria, particularly concerning Vice-Chancellor tenure extensions and the interplay between state legislative amendments, existing university laws, and union agreements. Lawyers advising educational institutions or government bodies should closely monitor the resolution of this dispute, as it could set precedents for interpreting Visitor powers and legislative interventions in university administration.

Source: Original reporting via news reports