By Tolu Adegun, Independent Observer
With the recent revelation regarding the true reason behind the arrest of Dr. Oyeyemi Agbeleoba, a full-time lecturer in the Department of English at Ekiti State University (EKSU), and Managing Director of Our People’s 104.1 FM (a position that cannot be held on a part-time basis), it is only proper that the Ekiti State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Kayode Babatuyi, tender an apology to the Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina, for false accusations, malicious misrepresentation, and criminal defamation.
Misuse of Position and False Allegations
On February 12, 2025, Mr. Babatuyi, in his capacity as NUJ Chairman, hastily called a press conference where he misled the public about Dr. Agbeleoba’s arrest. He wrongly claimed that the arrest was orchestrated by Prof. Fasina to silence Dr. Agbeleoba, whom he alleged had been fighting for his elder sister, Engr. Folasade Adebayo, over an unsubstantiated claim of harassment against the Vice-Chancellor.
This campaign of calumny, falsehood, and defamation was clearly aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Prof. Fasina for reasons best known to Mr. Babatuyi.
Time for a Public Apology
Now that the truth has come to light, with Dr. Agbeleoba’s arraignment completed and his trial set to commence on April 29, 2025, on two criminal charges—impersonation and cyber-bullying—one would expect Mr. Babatuyi to take responsibility for his actions.
He should:
- Apologize publicly to the Vice-Chancellor for spreading falsehoods.
- Hold another press conference to retract his false accusations and apologize to the NUJ state chapters and the nation.
- Resign honourably for his unethical and unprofessional conduct, having misled the NUJ and misinformed the public.
Failure in Leadership
It is important to recall that on the day of Agbeleoba’s arrest, Mr. Babatuyi personally reached out to Prof. Fasina to verify whether he was behind the arrest. The Vice-Chancellor explicitly denied any involvement. Despite this clarification, Mr. Babatuyi went ahead with his campaign against the VC, vowing to use the NUJ as a tool to fight him.
By engaging multiple media platforms to spread false accusations against the FUOYE management, he has done irreparable damage to journalistic ethics and public trust. Now that the truth has been exposed, the honourable course of action would be for Mr. Babatuyi to step down and allow a more professional leader to take over the affairs of the NUJ in Ekiti State.
His actions have caused unnecessary public unrest through misinformation, defamation, and distortion of facts. It is time for accountability.
