ASUU places embargo on LASU faculty exchange programmes, other

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the national level said it has placed an embargo on its members from engaging in sabbatical leave, visitation, part-time lectureship, external examinations and assessments, conferences, research collaboration and workshops involving the Lagos State University, Ojo.

It expressed its displeasure with the vice chancellor of the university, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, for the unjust dismissal from service of the former ASUU executive officers in LASU: the chairman, Dr Isaac Oyewunmi; vice chairman, Dr Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu; secretary, Dr Anthony Dansu; assistant secretary, Dr Adeolu Oyekan, and treasurer, Dr Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare.

It also faulted the vice chancellor for stopping the check-off dues of its members in the university, and the local chapter for electing another set of new leaders.

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

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

The national leadership of ASUU also threatened to institute a court action against the new set of officers at the branch for parading themselves as union leaders in the university.

The union insisted that it recognised only the sacked Oyewunmi-led exco members as ASUU officers at LASU and not the new leaders.

Reacting to the development, however, the vice chancellor, Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, said even though he would not want to join issues with ASUU both at the national and local branch levels because the operations of the union is not under his purview, he knew he did no wrong whatsoever for bringing sanity to LASU system.

He said a lot of things were wrong with LASU before he assumed office and that it would be on record that LASU under his leadership had witnessed for the first time in its history a five-year unbroken academic calendar, steady progress and production of graduates worthy in character and in learning.

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He said it was unfortunate that only a few lecturers (less than five per cent) in LASU were fomenting trouble outside the campus trying to ensure the old bad order is restored.

He said: “Is ASUU the only union? There is a non-academic staff union, there is a senior staff union, there is a national technologists’ union, there is also a students’ union government in place in LASU, as well as majority of ASUU members cooperating and supporting the good work this administration is doing – which means we run all-inclusive administration. Why then are these few ASUU members different?”

Fagbohun, however, said he did not receive any letter from ASUU either at the national or local level as regards the purported NEC resolutions on his person and the university.

He insisted that the sack of the former ASUU leaders remained unchanged.

In his own reaction, the new chairman of ASUU in the university, Dr Ibrahim Bakare, who also claimed he had not received any NEC resolutions, said the national body of the union is biased in its judgment so far.

He said his recent emergence as chairman of the LASU branch alongside other officers followed due process, and that it was the congress that voted them in following the vacuum created by the expiration of the tenure and termination of appointments of the former officers.

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

He said: “It is now that the union at the branch has a set of new leaders who are working on three major mandates which border on peace sustainability, staff welfare, and school progress that the national body is going against the effort.”