By Odunayo Babalola, Abeokuta
Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago – Iwoye, has given insight into why it cancelled the two days off policy for all categories of staff, saying its observance had proven to be disruptive and antithetical to the sustenance of stable academic calendar and institutional excellence.
The two – day off policy was introduced by the Ogun State government for its workers and others in the state – owned establishments, agencies and parastatals to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
However, the policy was terminated at the OOU by the management after its commencement, subsequently leading some unions within the university to stage a protest on Tuesday this week at the campus, demanding among other things, its restoration.
But Addressing journalists at the Vice-Chancellor’s Committee Room, Main Campus, Ago-Iwoye on Wednesday, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ayodeji Agboola, said the discontinuation of the two – days off policy by the Governing Council and and continuous engagement with unions in the university were all geared toward sustaining academic stability.
Agboola vehemently refuted all allegations of high-handedness, staff intimidation, and refusal to engage made by the protesting Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
He explained that the two – days off policy was well-intentioned, but it adversely affected productivity and workflow across several units in an institution that depends heavily on continuous academic, administrative, and technical services, stressing that while the policy lasted, it disrupted service delivery, delayed essential processes, and undermined institutional efficiency.
He described the unions’ actions as an attempt to “wash their dirtiness in the public” and challenged the legality of the demonstration, asserting that it lacked the necessary national permission.
The Vice-Chancellor strongly countered the unions’ claim that management had refused to meet with them, detailing a series of alleged refusals by the union leaders.
“The claim that we don’t normally call them for a meeting is not true,” Prof. Agboola stated. “I sent letters to them on three occasions. They wrote back that they were not going to attend our meeting, citing prior meetings, and they never asked for any other day up till now,” he said.
He further revealed that a third union, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), had initially stood with the NASS but subsequently withdrew “When NAAT saw that what they were doing is not correct, NAAT decided to pull away from them. NAAT never went for a day on this two-day off.”
Agboola specifically denied receiving any formal “seven-day ultimatum” from the unions. He confirmed that the unions wrote to the University Council and Pro-Chancellor, who then directed them to the Labour Committee.
“They wrote back to the Pro-chancellor that they are not going to attend the committee, and what they did was to appear suddenly on the day of the meeting, and the committee pleaded with them. I did not attend the meeting so that it will not appear as if I am interfering,” he explained.
Responding to the allegations of staff intimidation and sacking, the VC was emphatic: “No single person has been sacked by me in the last three years. I will be the last person to harass any staff. I don’t even have the time.” He clarified that queries issued to staff were administrative requirements for explanation, not punishment.
Addressing the complex issue of pension arrears and peculiar allowances, the Vice-Chancellor linked the problem directly to an alleged long-standing over-payment of staff salaries.
He explained that the management discovered some staff had been “enjoying 145% of salary instead of 100%,” which created discrepancies with regulatory bodies. “That was why we had problems with the Pension when they were asking us to explain what scale we are using at the House of Assembly… That’s why when a principal retires, he gets more payment than a professor.”
The VC challenged the work ethic of the non-academic staff, suggesting the protest stemmed from a reluctance to commit to full duties following the removal of the two-day off palliative.
“They don’t want to do the work. How will someone sit down at home and do the work of 14 days in a month and still want to collect full salary, yet we are still paying them? We are paying more than the federal university in Nigeria as we speak,” he maintained, adding that OOU staff are “enjoying leave more than the federal universities and state universities in Nigeria,” he said.
When asked if he would issue a fresh invitation for dialogue, Prof. Agboola refused, citing the unions’ three previous refusals. “I have sent invitations to them that they said they would not come, am I going to continue to ridicule the office of the Vice-Chancellor? We will continue to engage them if they will be ready for the engagement.”
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