Ajibola Apologises To Daniel Over VC’s Position On N50b Bond

Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and founder of the Crescent University, Prince Bola Ajibola, has tendered an unreserved apology to the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on the position of his Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sheriffdeen Tella, over the controversial proposed N50bn bond.

The Vice chancellor had last week written to the State House of Assembly showing dissenting position on the proposed N50b bond by the state government, a development the Professor of Economics alleged has been trailed by threats to his life.

Despite another letter to the House on Monday, where the VC had maintained that his position remains personal, Ajibola, the Chairman of the Ogun State Elders Consultative Forum, wrote to the governor for forgiveness.

In the letter dated 30 May 2010, copy of which was made available to PMNEWS through the State Ministry of Information and Orientation, the university president described Tella’s letter as “unsolicited intrusion into political and economic arena of the state, which is a diversion, unconnected with the purely academic concern of the university.”

Ajibola further noted that the content of the Vice-Chancellor’s letter to the House was “questionable and doubtful”.

“I would have stopped the letter at all costs at my disposal if I knew such letter was coming. I want to say in all honesty and in the name of Almighty God that I am not connected directly or indirectly with the writing of such letter.

“The content is so terribly shocking that I am not only disturbed but equally depressed. The damage had already been done but at the moment, I am busy looking for  means of effecting damage control; while still planning to see what we can do towards the amelioration of the damage on behalf of the entire university. I hereby put forward our unreserved apology to you and your government,” the letter read.

When the Vice-chancellor was contacted, he said that the copy of Ajibola’s letter had not reached him,   “but when I get it, I will study it and decide on the next line of action”.

—Abiodun Onafuye /Abeokuta