A brewing crisis over university governance has emerged in Osun State following Governor Ademola Adeleke’s decision to extend the tenure of Prof. Clement Adegbooye as Vice Chancellor of Osun State University. The Academic Staff Union of Universities isn’t having it.
Adegbooye’s original appointment was set to expire in January 2027. The governor announced the two-year extension during the inauguration of the university’s reconstituted Governing Council on September 1, 2026. ASUU President Prof. Christopher Piwuna swiftly condemned the move, arguing that existing legislation permits only a single five-year term without extensions.
What happens when a state rewrites its own university law to accommodate one official? Piwuna raised exactly that concern, pointing to the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act of 2012. That federal legislation was specifically designed to end disputes over vice chancellors overstaying their welcome. The union believes cing the rules as someone’s tenure winds down undermines democratic principles and could spark similar power plays across Nigeria’s public universities.
ASUU didn’t spare Adegbooye either. The vice chancellor once served as a branch secretary of the union at Obafemi Awolowo University. Accepting the extension, Piwuna suggested, contradicts everything ASUU stands for. The union has urged Adegbooye to reconsider before his original tenure ends, warning they won’t let UNIOSUN become a dangerous template for other institutions.
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