Titus Eleweke l Wednesday, May 03, 2017
EPE, Lagos, Nigeria – Public Relations Officer of Michel Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED),Noforija Epe, Lagos, and Personal Assistant to the late provost, Prof Olu Akeusola, Mr. Ilori Abiodun has described as shocking and unbelievable the death of his principal.
Ilori who spoke who with our correspondent said it was shocking and unbelievable that a man who was hale and hearty few hours to his death could be pronounced dead. He said he was with the late provost by 2pm in his house on the fateful day as they just came back from Abuja the same day hale and hearty and was surprise when he got message that he was dead by around 6pm.
According Ilori, the provost led seven man team of the college to the office of Tertiary Education Trust Fund TETFund ,Abuja to finalise arrangement on how the institution money trapped with the TETFund could be released . According to him, the college supposed to access some fund from TETFund for the 2015 and 2017 towards the completion of the ongoing projects in the college.
He said when they came back on Friday 21st April 2017, the provost went home to rest and asked him to come later to him and collect some documents ,which he did at about 2pm and by that time he was neither sick nor showing any sign of sickness .
According to him, “ I was surprised when I received a call that provost was dead and I asked, how can a man looking healthy be said to be dead just after two hours of seeing him “
“We just came back from Abuja on Friday 21st April 2017, the same day he died where we went to present a paper on how to access TETFund money for the college. We were supposed to get the 2015 and 2017 for the Lagos state college of education. When we got to office ,he said he was going to rest and about 2 pm I should come and collect some documents and at that time I went to him in his house to collect those documents ,which he personally handed over to me and by then he was hale and hearty .
“He was not sick neither complaining of any sickness, surprisingly in the same day evening I received a call that the provost was dead and I quickly rushed to his house before I could get there, every place was filled with people and his senior brother was at the door entrance. Instantly, what came to my mind was that this man was trying to test the people’s faith about him, as there is no how he could have died in less than two hours that I saw him. In fact, I said it was a joke and I went back home and told my wife what I saw and also told her that there was no way the provost could just die like that, maybe he was trying to pull people’s legs. And my wife told me there was no way he could joke with his death. Not yet convinced that he was dead, very early in the morning the following day before 5.30 I was in his house and before I could get there, they have started digging his grave, then it occurred to me that the iroko has fallen. His death was a rude surprise and shock to me .I have not experience such in my life .This world is full of uncertainty’’ he said.
Another sources in the college told us that he overheard the provost telling his deputy that their trip to Abuja was successful and the college would soon access both the 2015 and 2017 fund.
Meanwhile, the joint unions of the institution had horribly locked up the late provost’s office, and that of the Bursar alleging mismanagement of institution’s fund.
According to close sources in the college, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, immediately the news of the provost’s death filtered around the community ,the three unions , College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCEN) and None Academic Staff Union(NASU) of the college horribly locked the provost office and the Bursar, alleging that they do not want any document to be removed from the provost’s office.
According to the sources, the joint unions alleged that the late provost in connivance with the Bursar mismanaged the college money and they were out to guide against any attempt to remove implicating documents from the provost office.
The sources also said, it took the intervention of the governing council of the college for the unions to open the Bursar’s office but refused to open that of the provost.
The sources said that since the death of the provost those working in the office of the provost are working under the trees in front of the provost’s office.
The sources further disclosed that the three unions refused to attend the burial ceremony of the provost, even the eight day fadau prayer at his compound in Epe. Another sources in the college told us that, the late provost had been having issues with e unions till his death on Friday 21st April 2017.
However, Mr. Ilori refused to comment on the development. By the time of filling this story, our correspondent could not reach the union officials for comments.
Even when the correspondent got the SSUCOEN chairman, comrade Ogunlari Yomi he said he cannot speak on the matter pending when he would meet the reporter in person and he would also like to talk about the development along with the union’s members, while the chairman of COEASU, comrade Adefuye Michael could not be reached on phone.
