Adeleke Defends UNIOSUN VC's Tenure Extension, Cites Infrastructure Gains and Industrial Peace

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has defended his decision to extend the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Professor Clement Odunayo Adebooye, insisting the extension was based on merit, legality, and the need to sustain the university's development trajectory.

Adeleke, speaking through Deputy Governor Prince Kola Adewusi at the university's 16th convocation ceremony in Osogbo, said his administration had witnessed significant academic and infrastructural transformation at the institution over the past four years. He said no fewer than 40 major building projects had been completed and commissioned across the university within that period, alongside more than 30 complementary projects, including renovations, procurement, supplies, and solar installations, aimed at improving teaching, learning, and administrative operations.

The governor pointed specifically to UNIOSUN's record on staff welfare as a key part of his justification, noting that the university had become the second state-owned university in Nigeria to fully implement the 2025 Federal Government-Staff Union agreement. "It is on record that UNIOSUN is the second State-owned university to fully implement the 2025 FGN-Staff union agreement. So, in terms of staff welfare and overall teaching and learning environment, this University remains a model. This is a major commitment of our government to support the responsible and responsive administration that we have put in charge of this university," Adeleke said, framing the achievement as evidence of industrial harmony at a time when strikes have disrupted academic calendars at several other state-owned universities across Nigeria throughout 2026.

On the tenure extension itself, Adeleke said he approved a two-year extension for Professor Adebooye, effective from January 4, 2027, following consultations and compliance with relevant state laws. He noted that the decision had subsequently been backed by an amendment to the Osun State University Law, 2006, passed by the State House of Assembly earlier in September, extending the Vice-Chancellor's tenure through to January 2029. Defending Adebooye's performance further, the governor said UNIOSUN had attracted five major Federal Government projects in September alone, alongside completed accreditation processes for several academic programmes.

The extension has not been without controversy. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), in a statement signed by its National President, Professor Christopher Piwuna, following the union's National Executive Committee meeting, expressed disappointment in both Governor Adeleke and Professor Adebooye over the decision. The union argued that the UNIOSUN Law is a domesticated version of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act, 2012, which it said clearly provides for a single five-year tenure for vice-chancellors with no room for extension, raising questions over the legality of the move even after the state assembly's subsequent amendment.

Separately, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance (CCSOGG) had initially raised objections to the proposed extension, but has since withdrawn its opposition. Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the coalition's National Coordinator, Comrade Declan Ihekaire, said an independent review found that the Osun State House of Assembly had amended the relevant provisions of the UNIOSUN law, giving the state governor discretion over such extensions. The coalition noted that Adebooye's original tenure remains valid until January 2027, meaning the extension does not involve prolonging an already-expired term. It said the key considerations should be whether the action is backed by law, whether due legislative process was followed, whether it serves the public interest, and whether the Vice-Chancellor has demonstrated the competence to justify continuity, adding that it now considered these conditions satisfied.

The coalition further commended the Adeleke administration for what it described as substantial investment in UNIOSUN's growth and transformation.

Professor Adebooye was first appointed UNIOSUN's Vice-Chancellor in January 2022, becoming the institution's fourth substantive VC at the time. With the extension now backed by legislative amendment, he is set to remain in the role until January 2029, a development that has placed Osun State at the centre of a broader national debate over vice-chancellor tenure limits and the extent of gubernatorial discretion in extending them, an issue some observers have warned could set a precedent other state governments may look to going forward.