When our correspondent arrived at the venue of the exercise, being held at the Centre for Black Culture and Understanding, Osogbo, the verification had been disrupted, as the staff members at the premises threatened not to continue with the verification.
It was the second disruption that the verification would experience at the same venue, as the exercise was also suspended on the day Judiciary staff were to be verified, following an allegation of verbal abuse against the consultant.
Speaking on behalf of the staff of the university, the Secretary, Academic Staff Union of the University, UNIOSUN chapter, Dr. Damilare Adekomi, accused the Consultant, Sa’adat Bakrin-Ottun, of calling a professor a bastard.
Adekomi also said Bakrin-Ottun, while the exercise lasted tormented and verbally abused staff of the university, lowering their status.
He further said, “Staff members were humiliated, tormented, were verbally abused. That is not supposed to be. Staff members of the Osun State University are human beings and should be accorded that respect.
“How on earth would the consultant address a professor as a bastard? That is the height of it. I can’t even address my student as a bastard. How much more a Profession? Humiliations were meted out on the nonacademic staff of the university this morning. The same persisted till the moment she walked out on us.
“That is not done. The fundamental rights of every individual should be protected. ASUU UNIOSUN will not stand for that. We have respect for our university, and that is why every member is here for the verification exercise. There is a staff member, whose phone was confiscated for hours until an individual had to plead before the phone was released.
“I wouldn’t know why her phone was seized. The security her were using guns to push people. This is not right. She stopped and walked out on us. She drove out of this place.”
But when responding, Bakrin-Ottun, denied the allegations, describing them as mere fabrications.
The consultant who insisted that she was being maligned unjustly, said one of the staff of the university called her a bastard, and rather than react, she entered her vehicle and left the scene.
The said, “To say I am in shock is an understatement over the alleged altercation. I am surprised because these are university staff, since 9 am we were here, it has been one problem or the other. A staff of the university had an issue with a security operative of the Osun Joint Task Force which I mediated. The phone was seized but I handed it over to one of the union members.
“I was walking out with the Deputy VC when they refused to cooperate with the process, these people have not been cooperating with the exercise since morning which really affected us. One of them addressed me as a bastard and I was surprised, I said, you called me a bastard? I turned around and I entered my car. All those allegations are mere fabrications, I was the one that was insulted and also maligned but I don’t have a problem with that.”
After the intervention of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Clement Adebooye, the exercise later resumed and more staffers were verified.
