ASUU declares Victimised Lecturers’ Day

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared 10 September as Victimised Lecturers’ Day to solidarise with its persecuted members in Nigerian public universities.

The National President of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, made the declaration on Wednesday at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, during a press conference on the outcome of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

The NEC meeting was held between 17 and 18 August at the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State.

According to Mr Osodeke, several lecturers in different Nigerian universities are “being victimised through such avenues as illegal termination of appointments, withholding of salaries, and denial of promotion.”

He listed the Kogi State University (KSU), Anyingba, the Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, the Lagos State Universities (LASU), Ojoo, the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam, and others as institutions where lecturers are being victimised.

Listed cases in some universities

Mr Osodeke noted that the union is particularly disturbed at the travesty of justice in the judgement delivered against their members at the Kogi State University, Anyigba, after seven years of waiting.

He added that the union is also worried by the extended period of court proceedings regarding their member who was illegally sacked at Lagos State University for more than five years.

He expressed the union’s disappointment in the refusal of the Lagos State Government to release the White Paper on the Visitation Panel to LASU more than two years after the exercise.

He said, “The seeming conspiracy of silence on this matter is unbecoming of a democratically elected government. Without a doubt, the undue elongation of court proceedings in matters of life and livelihood has created untold hardship for our affected members. It is a typical instance of justice delayed being justice denied.

“We therefore call on the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to redeem his pledge to do the right thing at LASU and ensure the recall of our unjustly sacked colleagues.”

Speaking on the case at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, he further expressed displeasure at the continued victimisation of its members at the institution for rejecting the conferment of a professorship title on former Minister of Communication and Digital Technology, Isa Pantami.

He equally expressed dissatisfaction with developments at the Ebonyi State University (EBSU) whose authorities, he alleged, are buying time by going on appeal rather than implement a court judgement and reinstate their sacked colleague.

“While appreciating the intervention efforts of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ebonyi, NEC calls on Visitors to the Ebonyi State University and other state universities where ASUU members are being persecuted to take decisive steps to resolve all lingering matters and give their universities a new breath of life,” he stated.

The union, therefore, urged the Governing Councils and Visitors to state universities to take “special interest in the application of the Laws governing their respective institutions and ensure that tyrannical tendencies of certain Vice-Chancellors are curbed.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported extensively the prolonged victimisation of a 73-year-old associate professor of theatre arts, Inih Ebong, at the University of Uyo, who was unlawfully terminated in 2002.

The reports added that Mr Ebong, despite winning several court cases, including a National Industrial Court judgement ordering his reinstatement and compensation, the university refused to comply.

The associate professor’s ordeal began when he was falsely accused of abandoning his duty while on approved annual leave. The university suspended him indefinitely, stopped his salary and eventually terminated his appointment.

Another case involves a senior female lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Adenike Ogunshe, whose appointment was terminated seven years ago, as reported by Oyo Affairs. She has also obtained a court judgement reinstating her but has not been reabsorbed.