ASUU calls LASU VC ‘enemy’ places embargo on faculty exchange programmes

Again, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the national level has expressed its displeasure against the Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, for unjustly dismissing according to the union from service of the university former executive officers of the union at the branch including the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, and the Treasurer.

The union also frown at the vice-chancellor for stopping the check-off dues of its members in the university and for the lecturers to have elected a set of new leaders.

This was contained in a terse statement signed by the dismissed former secretary and assistant secretary of the union at the branch, Dr Tony Dansu, and Dr Adeolu Oyekan, respectively and made available to newsmen on Friday.

According to the statement, this development was part of the resolutions made by the National Executive Committee of ASUU at its last meeting held at Enugu State University of Technology, Enugu, between March 7th and 8th.

The union said because of this, it has placed an embargo on lecturers from within and outside LASU to participate henceforth in the university sabbatical leave, visitation, part-time lectureship, external examinations and assessors, conferences, research collaboration, workshops and so forth.

It also threatens to institute a court action against the new set of officers for parading themselves as union leaders in the university.

Reacting to this, the Vice-chancellor, Prof Olanrewaju Fagbohun, said even though he would not want to join issue with ASUU both at the national and LASU branch, he knew he did no wrong whatsoever for bringing sanity to LASU system.

According to him, lots of things were wrong with LASU before he assumed office and that it would be on records that LASU has witnessed for the first time in history five-year unbroken academic calendar, steady progress and production of graduates worthy in learning and character.

He said it was quite unfortunate that only a few put at less than five percent of all lecturers at LASU are fomenting trouble outside the campus, asking rhetorically if ASUU is the only the union in LASU.

There is non-academic staff union, there is a senior staff union, there is national technologist union, and there is also a student’s union in place in LASU cooperating and supporting the good things this administration is doing, which means we run all-inclusive administration, so why then ASUU is difference?

The vice-chancellor however, pointed out that he did not receive any letter from neither ASUU national nor LASU branch as regards the purported NEC resolutions.

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Also reacting separately, the new chairman of ASUU in LASU, Dr Ibrahim Bakare, who also claimed he had not received any NEC resolution, said ASUU national is unfair in its judgment so far on the issue of the union at LASU.

He said his emergence as chairman of the branch alongside other officers was not self- imposed but through congress who voted them following the vacuum created by the expiration of tenure and termination of appointment by the university of the former officers.

According to him, the ASUU national did not do anything towards the welfare of the lecturers of the university throughout about two to three years the vacuum left unfilled.

“It is now that we have a set of new leaders who are working on three major mandates which border on peace sustainability, welfare, and school progress that the national saying all these, and this is not only unfortunate but totally unfair on their part,” Bakare said.