Vice Chancellor of Baze University in Abuja said that he has been besieged by persistent requests for money since taking office.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Professor Abiodun Adeniyi described a “torrent of financial demands” that began after he became Vice-Chancellor on May 6.
He said the appeals ranged from requests to finish a partially built house to pleas for funds to finance overseas travel and an urgent ₦5 million credit alert.
“One person asked me to fund completion of a house at lintel level after claiming a revelation that I would pay for it,” Professor Adeniyi wrote.
He said attempts to explain that his salary could not cover such requests were met with little sympathy.
The vice-chancellor described his experience as symptomatic of a broader social dynamic in parts of Africa, where communal expectations and extended social obligations often fall on relatives and acquaintances perceived as financially secure.
He warned that those pressures intensify when unemployment, underemployment and weak social‑welfare systems leave large segments of the population vulnerable.
“The demands on individuals perceived as privileged multiply because of poorly managed systems,” he wrote, adding that better employment and stronger support structures could ease the burden on individuals.
Professor Adeniyi also drew a connection between the social expectations placed on perceived “privileged” individuals and the temptations facing public officeholders.
“A political office holder seeking goodwill might steal or seek loans, looking for funds to respond to the accumulated demands,” he said, suggesting that such pressures could help explain some instances of official corruption.
NewsQuest reports that the University’s board approved Professor Adeniyi’s appointment in May after a selection process.
He had served more than a decade at Baze University, including a term as Registrar and holds a background in communication scholarship and journalism.
Pressure on University leaders has sparked controversy in the country in the past, though those episodes have involved different circumstances than the personal appeals described by Professor Adeniyi.
