Speaking during a Press Conference, at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, (FUTA) Ondo state, the Zonal Coordinator of the union, Dr. Alex Odiyi, accused the Vice Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun of creating an atmosphere of anarchy, disrupting and desecrating the academic culture for which the university is known.
The union alleged Fagbohun of unjust dismissal of the chairman and vice chairman of ASUU in the school, Dr Isacc Oyewumi and Dr Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu respectively, while the Vice-Chancellor continued to harass other members of the executive of the union in the school.
The ASUU in Akure zone linked the onslaught against the members of the union in LASU to the desperate efforts of the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Fagbohun, to cover its financial misdeed.
Odiyi said ” the reasons for this onslaught on the unit are not far fetched. Firstly, the administration has made desperate effort to cover up it financial misdeeds, particularly in the misappropriation of the N1.3billion NEEDS Assessment Revitalisation Fund released to the university in 2013 which was a product of the collective struggle of the union.
“To further this, the vice chancellor has maintained a position of disallowing the proper constitution of the University Budget Monitoring Committee, which was meant to ensure the propriety of the processes leading to the award of contracts in respect of the fund.”
ASUU also alleged Fagbohun of planning to increase the school fees of the students of the institution while he has unilaterally decided to admit 3,500 students for the incoming session instead of 6,000 students, citing lack of infrastructure in the institution, while plans had been concluded to increase the acceptance fee by hundred percent.
The union also condemned the purported proscription of ASUU in Kogi State University (KSU) chapter by Governor Yahaya Bello and frowned over the forceful ejection and ban of sacked ASUU members from the campus.
According to the union, despite the inability of the state government to pay salaries and allowances of the workers in the institution, the state governor subjected the workers of the institution to screening exercise and imposition of heavy tax on the workers which led to the sack of over 120 workers of the school.
The arrogant display of office and abuse of power by Mr Yahaya Bello, give a clear picture of the extent to which political office holders of his type could go crush any perceived opposition in their bid to enslave and emasculate Nigerians in order to carry out their orchestrated plan to destroy the educational system.
The alleged Bello of encouraging migration of capable hands from the institution by replacing the sacked staff with MSc holders, Youth Corpers and technologists to handle courses being handled by Professors, Senior Lecturers and PhD holders.
The union lamented that despite peace overtures by the national body of ASUU, the Visitors and management of the two universities continued to act with impunity saying the governing councils of the two institutions had demonstrated gross incompetence in the management of the affairs of the institutions.
The union, however, called on members of the public to prevail on the administration and visitors of the two universities to order the unconditional recall of its sacked members who stood against the ills being perpetrated in LASU.
“We demand the unconditional recall of all our colleagues illegally sacked from the universities, payment of all outstanding salaries and entitlements to our colleagues in KSU and restoration of their rights and privileges by the University Administrators.” the union said.
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