Again, LASU sacks three ASUU officials, others

The Governing Council of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, on Thursday, relieved three executive members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter of the university, of their appointment.

They are Anthony Dansu (Secretary), Kemi Abodunrin-Shonibare (Treasurer), and Adeolu Oyekan (Assistant Secretary), and the trio are from the Department of Human Kinetics, Sports and Health Education; Department of African Languages, Literature and Communication Arts and Department of Philosophy, respectively

Two other lecturers, Olusegun Henry, who is at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Kehinde Coker, Department of Religion Studies, were also dismissed by the governing council, which is the highest decision making organ of the university.

Their sack, which took immediate effect, came barely two years after the ASUU chairman of the university, Dr Isaac Akinloye Oyewunmi and the vice-chairman, Dr Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, were dismissed, also by the governing council in 2017.

However, the latest three affected union leaders, according to the university, were dismissed based on the alleged illegal possession and use of the university’s official documents.

The university’s spokesman, Mr Ademola Adekoya, confirmed all these to our correspondent on Friday.

He said their dismissal followed a due process as the university’s Joint Council and Senate Disciplinary Committee, recommended their sack after probing their actions and found them guilty of violating the law of the university.

He added that the governing council ratified the committee’s recommendation at their meeting on Thursday, which he said dragged till nightfall.

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Reacting to the development, one of the dismissed union leaders and secretary, Mr Dansu, said their dismissal was not only illegal and totally condemnable, but also diversionary.

According to him, the action is a game plan by the university authority to permanently silence the teachers’ union so as to cover-up the atrocities of the management and that of the vice-chancellor in particular.

He said there is nothing like secrecy of official documents in any public institutions including LASU when freedom of information law is guaranteed by the constitution of the country.

“Or does it mean that governing council wants to tell the whole world that their own secrecy law is superior to Freedom of Information law,” he asked rhetorically. “That is why this action of the governing council further confirms that the dismissal of the chairman and the vice-chairman of the union two years ago was an act of vendetta against the union leaders for exposing the management atrocities.”

Dansu however, noted that their dismissal would be taken up by the leadership of ASUU at the national level, which our correspondent confirmed from the National President, Prof Abiodun Ogunyemi, to determine the next line of action.

But when asked both when to do that, they said by next week