Over 200 Members Unjustly Victimised, Sacked, Says ASUU 

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Ibadan Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday raised the alarm that more than 200 members of the union are being victimised through unjust termination of appointments and deliberate refusal to pay owed salaries.

The union specially accused the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, of victimising its members for opposing the award of professorship on former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy,  Isa Pantami.

The Zonal Coordinator of the union, Prof. Oyebamiji Oyegoke, in a statement issued in Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday, disclosed that onslaught by those he described as some elements of the Nigerian state in the quest of destroying what is left of public universities in the country has not abated, stating that the latest onslaught is now from Visitors and university administrators.

The Ibadan Zone of the union comprises the University of Ibadan; University of Ilorin; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso; Osun State University, Osogbo; Kwara State University, Malete and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo.

According to him, over 120 members of the union were unjustly sacked at the Kogi State University, Anyigba, for participating in strike while at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, the union is demanding justice on 28 months of unpaid salaries, undue amendment of Conditions of Service by Special Intervention Team and notional promotion of its members.

Oyegoke said: “More specifically, we frowned at the interminable calamities being meted against our members at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo, Kogi State University (KSU), Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma (AAUE), Edo State, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Anambra State, and the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Imo State and others campuses where our members are being unlawfully suspended, unjustly diminished, denied promotion, and salaries withheld for insisting on the rule of law and insistence on defending the autonomy status of universities. It is unfortunate that the situation has not changed, hence, the need for reinstating our patriotic opposition to the odious state of things in the aforementioned universities. As the saying goes, ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

At Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo,  Oyegoke disclosed that five of its members, the branch Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer were dismissed on trumped up charges such as insistence on adherence to the rule of law and calling for well-deserved promotion, noting that it has been seven years since the travails commenced and have not abated despite the fact that the Visitation Panel set up by the Visitor to LASU, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, absolved them and called for their unconditional reinstatement.

“In Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam, the branch secretariat is locked and our members are not allowed to hold regular congress meetings on the campus as if the right to freedom of assembly and association is not sine qua non under the Nigerian Constitution. To worsen the situation, salaries of our members of up to 12 months are withheld for keeping faith with ASUU’s adherence to due process and academic freedom. In Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, instead of the university administration implementing the court judgment that was in the favour of our victimized members, the university has resulted into appealing the judgment which favoured our members hoping to prolong and protract, the inevitable triumph of good over evil.

“The union appealed to opinion leaders, traditional and religious leaders, media, labour movements, students’ groups and civil society organisations to demand from concerned university administrations, Governing Councils and Visitors an immediate reinstatement of all our members that were wrongly sacked; stoppage of all forms of victimisation of our members; and, putting an end to unconstitutional, and gross abuse of power. Adherence to the rule of law should not be in the saying but must be by action,” he added.