Covenant University Criticised Over Murder Of Dismissed Lecturer ‘denied Terminal Benefits’
Covenant University is facing public scrutiny following the death of Professor Joseph Olugbuyiro, a former staff member whose appointment was allegedly terminated in 2024, without the payment of his terminal benefits.
A close colleague, Samuel Tuesday Owoeye, broke the news in an emotional post on social media, accusing the university of subjecting him and others to untold hardship by withholding their entitlements for over eight months.
“My brother and colleague, you couldn’t survive the shock,” Owoeye wrote.
He added that “Covenant University terminated our appointment in September 2024 and gave us three weeks to vacate our residence… not because we violated any regulations, but to bring down the wage bill.”
He further alleged that while the sack was painful but tolerable, the greater injustice was the university’s prolonged refusal to settle their benefits.
“As I make this post, they are still devising how to cut, cut, cut… It is now over eight months and the organization we spent almost half of our lifetime to serve doesn’t care if we go and die. Of course, you have gone and now you have died untimely,” he lamented.
Owoeye recalled their last conversation on May 4, 2025, where both men discussed the harsh economic realities facing them.
Adding a spiritual note, he quoted Jeremiah 17:9 to describe the betrayal they felt: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it.”
Owoeye expressed fear that even in death, his colleague might still be shortchanged.
“I am sure Covenant University will now call your next of kin and pay him/her what they like and not what you are entitled to receive. God will judge the wicked,” he concluded.
University yet to speak
Efforts to reach Covenant University for official comment on the allegations have so far been unsuccessful.
Multiple calls made to the university’s Registrar’s office went unanswered as of press time.
Also a spokesperson of the school simply identified as Chichi busied a call put through to her line by our correspondent and requested that a text message should be sent.
When there was no response to the text messages, she was contacted via WhatsApp yet no response was received.
The institution, known for its strict disciplinary culture and Christian ethos, has not released any public statement regarding the alleged termination of Professor Olugbuyiro’s appointment or the claims of unpaid benefits affecting former staff.
Chancellor of Covenant University, Dr. David Oyedepo
Netizens react with grief and outrage
The post has, however, triggered an outpouring of grief and indignation online. Many commenters, including former staff, shared similar experiences of alleged maltreatment and unpaid benefits.
Joshua Israel Jonah Odubele recalled a similar ordeal: “The same thing done to us in 2020 after the COVID-19 break… Some of us are dead, but I give thanks to God who has sustained the rest of us.”
Solomon Nwankwo, a former student, expressed sorrow and revealed a disturbing pattern. “My dad is still being owed till today and he is late too… Thanks for the good treatment you gave me in school. May your gentle soul rest in peace.”
Others like Omoyele Enoch Olufemi, criticized what they called hypocrisy within religious institutions: “The same people will come out and preach prosperity with this high level of wickedness.”
Ola Honesty noted, “Some of the things we are allowed to see are just facades. May the good Lord keep you and comfort the family of your late colleague.”
Amid the emotional tributes, George S. John offered a sobering reflection: “When the man was alive and calling, how many people answered him? But now he is gone… it’s a very painful exit.”
The incident has sparked fresh calls for accountability and justice within religious-affiliated institutions, with many urging Covenant University to uphold the values it professes.