Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has fired its most direct and uncompromising warning yet at Governor Ademola Adeleke, accusing him of setting a dangerous national precedent by extending the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Professor Clement Adebooye, by two years. In a statement signed by ASUU President Christopher Piwuna after an emergency National Executive Council meeting, the union said the governor’s action could undo the gains of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and turn Osun into a template for other governors who wish to place political expediency above legal and ethical standards. The controversy has reignited a battle over the autonomy of Nigerian universities and the rule of law that has profound implications for the future of higher education in the country.
The conflict began on August 31, 2026, when Governor Adeleke announced the extension during the inauguration of the reconstituted Governing Council of UNIOSUN. Professor Adebooye was appointed in 2022 and his five-year tenure was due to expire in January 2027. Under the extension, he would remain in office until January 2029. Following the governor’s announcement, the Osun State House of Assembly hurriedly amended the UNIOSUN Establishment Law to create the statutory basis for the extension, a move that ASUU has described as antithetical to democratic norms and a flagrant disrespect for the rule of law.
ASUU’s central argument is both legal and moral. The union maintained that the UNIOSUN Law is a domesticated version of the Principal Act, the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2012, which clearly stipulates that a Vice-Chancellor shall serve for a single five-year tenure with no room for extension. The Principal Act was enacted to curtail the rancour, bitterness, and administrative witch-hunts that had plagued Nigerian universities each time a Vice-Chancellor’s tenure was due to end. By importing a two-year extension into the UNIOSUN Law through what ASUU described as a hurriedly packaged amendment to serve his purpose, Governor Adeleke has set a precedent that could undo those gains. The union warned that the development has all the trappings of exacerbating pent-up anger, sycophancy, and administrative witch-hunt, all of which are injurious to the healthy growth and development of an upcoming university like UNIOSUN. Osun State has now become a bad example for governors who may wish to reverse themselves on the Universities Miscellaneous Act.
The union did not spare Professor Adebooye. ASUU noted that the Vice-Chancellor once served as a Branch Secretary of the union at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and said his decision to accept the tenure elongation following the so-called consultation is unacceptable. It negates the union’s principles and core values, ASUU said, urging him to rethink the matter before January 2027 when his legally valid tenure will come to an end. The union also directed its UNIOSUN branch to mobilise and respond courageously to what it called a flagrant violation of the Miscellaneous Act as amplified in the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, and constituted a visitation team to engage the university administration, the Governing Council, and the Visitor.
The Osun State Government has defended the extension, arguing that it was not an arbitrary executive action but one anchored on the statutory framework governing the institution. In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government said the decision was taken by Governor Adeleke in his capacity as Visitor to the university and was subsequently followed by legislative action. The government argued that the existence of a previous provision prescribing the tenure of a Vice-Chancellor does not permanently prevent the legislature from reviewing or amending the law through the constitutionally prescribed legislative process. It stressed that the amendment was considered and passed by the House of Assembly, making it misleading to suggest that the Governor acted alone or outside the established legal framework.
The government also pushed back against ASUU’s assertion of authority, stating that no staff union has the statutory authority to teach the Visitor or the Governing Council how to exercise powers lawfully vested in them. It insisted that the university is governed by its enabling law and not by the unilateral interpretation of any union or pressure group. While acknowledging staff unions as important stakeholders, the government said they are not substitutes for the statutory organs of the university and appealed to the university community to avoid actions capable of disrupting academic activities, particularly as the institution prepares for its forthcoming 16th Convocation.
The dispute has attracted scrutiny from legal and public affairs analysts. Professor Tunji Ogunyemi, a lawyer and economic historian, argued that the governor has no authority to extend the duration of the term of any officer whose term is determined by law. He explained that all certificates and vouchers signed and meetings called by the Vice-Chancellor during that extended period would be considered void, and any income and honorarium received during that period would be received corruptly because they would constitute illegal compensation. However, he noted that if the House of Assembly succeeds in amending the law and it is signed before the expiration of the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure in January 2027, Professor Adebooye could enjoy the extension, pointing to the legislature’s power to amend laws under Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution.
ASUU’s warning is not an isolated threat. It comes amid a broader national crisis in the university system, with ASUU threatening to resume its suspended nationwide strike over the federal government’s failure to implement the December 2025 agreement, pay three and a half months of withheld salaries, and remit billions of naira in third-party deductions. The union has also cited the UNIOSUN case as part of a pattern of violations of university autonomy that could plunge the entire system into another prolonged shutdown. ASUU has made it clear that it will not accept any blame for the consequences of another industrial action if the government continues to treat the demands of Nigerian academics with lip service.
As the standoff between ASUU and the Osun State Government continues, the core issues remain unresolved. The union has given the government and the university administration until January 2027 to reverse the extension, warning that it will not hesitate to further challenge the absurdity at UNIOSUN before it gains a notorious national currency. The government, for its part, has insisted that the matter has been subjected to appropriate governmental and legislative processes and has accused ASUU of attempting to create an unnecessary atmosphere of crisis. For the students and staff of UNIOSUN, the coming months will determine whether the institution becomes a test case for the future of university autonomy in Nigeria, or whether the extension becomes a precedent that other governors will emulate. The eyes of the nation are watching, and the question on everyone’s lips is whether the rule of law will prevail or whether political expediency will carry the day.
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