The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has
called on Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to
set up a Visitation Panel in the Lagos State University
(LASU).
The union said a panel was the antidote to the myriad of
problems facing the institution. ASUU also
recommended the implementation of the Universities
Miscellaneous Act of 2012, to put the 31-year-old
institution on the right path.
At a briefing on the university’s premises in
Ojo Lagos, Chairman, ASUU Lagos
Zone, Dr Adesola Nasir, said following the above
recommendations, Ambode should also constitute a
Governing Council to appoint a successor to the Vice
Chancellor, Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa.
He said Obafunwa being pelted with objects and chased
out of the institution by aggrieved workers on Monday,
March 16, and prevented from entering, meant he was no
longer accepted by the various unions.
Nasir said: “As ASUU, we are not proud when a whole
vice chancellor was pelted with sachet water by workers.
It shows such a vice chancellor has lost all forms of
respect from the community he is supposed to govern.
When this happen, the best for such vice chancellor is to
resign honourably.Obafunwa’s line of thought does not
agree with the people and things have degenerated to a
level where he can no longer enter his office.”
He said no matter how deep a crisis is, an ideal vice
chancellor must reconcile warring parties through
dialogue and cross fertilisation of ideas, noting that
Obafunwa has failed to achieve both.
According to Nasir, the allegation by workers against
Obafunwa, including the latter’s victimisation and non-
promotion of workers, setting up of illegal Budget
Monitoring Committee to access the Federal Government
intervention fund, victimisation of union heads,
inappropriate appointment of underserving staff who are
Obafunwa’s cronies as well as using media to disparage
workers, among others, are documented in two volumes
submitted to government by ASUU LASU, who now
awaits its decision.
ASUU lamented that industrial crisis in the university is
getting out of hand; hence the union’s intervention to
end it for good.
“What we expect from Obafunwa whenever he grants
interview in the media is to tell us his achievements in
terms of grants that his administration has attracted to
the university, the number of Ph.D awardees, and how he
has consolidated on the university’s internally
generated revenue. But to our disappointment, he keeps
painting workers in black. Sincerely, we are all tired of
anybody saying: ‘LASU is this or that.’ LASU has had
enough problems. All we want are the strides and not
pronouncements that would foment more trouble,” ASUU
further stated.
ASUU said the union is informed of secret moves by
Obafunwa to use some students outside the university to
puncture the peace that has since returned.
“Our union is not unaware of some clandestine moves to
unleash some ill informed students group mainly from
outside LASU to foment additional crisis in the
university. Our union wishes to advice our students, who
are our ally in the restoration of dignity of LASU to focus
on their studies as our members are doing all within
their means to ensure a smooth session. Exams have
been concluded and scripts marked,” ASUU counselled.
Chairman, ASUU-LASU Adekunle Idris, said against
misconceptions in certain quarters, the union is in
understanding with the LASU Students’ Union, noting
that when the struggle is eventually won, it is the
students that stand to reap the greatest dividend.
Meanwhile, LASU Students’ Union has called on
Ambode to get the university on full swing with respect
to academic activities.
LASUSU PRO, Adebanjo Fatai told our reporter on phone
that LASUSU was not interested on whether Obafunwa
returns to LASU or not, noting that it is a staff/
management affair. Another condition, Fatai stated, was
that no leader of the union should be victimised for his
or her role in the ongoing crisis.
Fatai said prevention of vehicular movement in and out
of the university premises by students on Thursday, last
week, was to draw government’s attention to their
plight.
“Immediately government heard that we had locked up
the two gates of the university, Deputy Governor Dr
( Idiat) Adebule had to call and appealed to us on
phone.”
He continued: “It is so sad that this is what we had to do
(protest) to get government’s attention. Ahead of the
protest, we had sent a letter which we copied to the
governor, his deputy, Ministry of Education, and all
unions in LASU as well as stakeholders in the state for
quick intervention, to no avail.
“You will also recall that before we commenced the (first
semester) exam, we had made repeated appeals to the
government but with no result until we eventually
stormed the Governor’s Office in Alausa in a protest,
before we could be answered.”
