DIPLOMAN TIMES

The Osun State Government has called for further legal clarification over the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities' position on the tenure extension of the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University.

An Osun State government publication said the government acknowledged the role of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities, while maintaining that its position on the UNIOSUN tenure matter appeared to reflect an incomplete understanding of the constitutional and legislative framework governing the institution.

The government pointed to the Osun State University Establishment Law, 2006, and said the constitutional framework permits State Houses of Assembly to establish institutions for university, technological and professional education, while federal regulation continues to cover areas including standards, accreditation and professional requirements.

On the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act, 2012, the government said the central legal question was whether the relevant federal provisions applied to UNIOSUN in a manner capable of overriding its enabling law, while acknowledging the constitutional principle concerning the supremacy of valid federal law where inconsistency exists.

The publication also said the Osun State House of Assembly had considered and passed the Osun State University Establishment Amendment Bill, 2026, and clarified that the existing Vice-Chancellor tenure runs until January 2027, with the proposed additional tenure commencing on January 4, 2027.

The government called for the dispute to be resolved through the Constitution, applicable statutes and official legislative records, while urging COPSUN, NUC, professional regulatory bodies, the Governing Council, staff unions, the Visitor and the State Government to operate within their respective mandates.