Dismissed Lecturers: ASUU imposes fresh sanctions on Nigerian university

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), an umbrella body of university lecturers in Nigeria, has imposed fresh sanctions on the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, over what it described as the failure of the authorities to recall its “unjustly” dismissed leaders on the campus seven years after.

ASUU, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Lagos zone and signed by the Zonal Coordinator, Adelaja Odukoya, listed the fresh sanctions to include prohibition of any of its members to relate officially with the institution either as an external examiner or for conference or sabbatical purposes.

The union also accused Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State of being behind the failure of the authorities to resolve the crisis seven year after, alleging that the governor unilaterally barred the institution’s governing council from implementing its resolution to recall the sacked lecturers.

The affected lecturers include the then Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the university’s chapter of ASUU, Isaac Oyewumi and Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, respectively,.

The rest are Tony Dansu, Adeolu Oyekan, and Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare, also members of the executive committee of the union on the campus.

Sanctions

According to the statement, the fresh sanctions are just part of the steps being taken by the union to ensure the recall of the sacked lecturers, insisting that their dismissal was “unjust and illegal.”

“Also, all members of our union have been prohibited from having anything to do with LASU or its members of staff until further notice. There will be no external examination, conferences, sabbatical exchanges and any other form of collaboration whatsoever with LASU. This marks the first in a series of steps we intend to take in ensuring justice for our members,” the statement reads in part.

ASUU said the sanctions which had earlier been imposed on the university during the administration of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the university, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, were lifted following the emergence of Mr Fagbohun’s successor and the incumbent VC, Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello.

The union said following the institution’s authorities’ commitment to an amicable resolution of the matter it caused the lecturers to withdraw their cases against the university from court.

“It has become clear that the good faith exhibited by our union by relaxing the implementation of its sanctions against LASU under the new administration is being taken for granted by the powers that be in Lagos State. It is also tantamount to a betrayal of trust to have caused a pause in the resolution of the cases through the courts with the promise of an out-of-court settlement, only to freeze the same process at the very point of implementing the decision of the Governing Council. It is a tactic to delay the wheels of justice and impose further, needless suffering on our members,” the union further noted.

Sanwo-Olu’s alleged culpability

According ASUU, Mr Sanwo-Olu, in his capacity as the Visitor to the university, has been indifferent to the plight of the dismissed lecturers, “despite repeated appeals.” It said instead of the governor’s intervention, he has allegedly orchestrated the continued victimisation of lecturers.

“Between then and now, ASUU has made several appeals to Governor Sanwo-Olu as the Visitor to LASU to release the White Paper of the visitation, and also lift the inexplicable embargo on the recall of our unjustly dismissed comrades, based on their exoneration by the Governing Council,” the union said.

The union added that the good faith exhibited by its Union by relaxing the implementation of its sanctions against LASU under the new administration is being taken for granted by the powers that be in Lagos State.

“It is also tantamount to a betrayal of trust to have caused a pause in the resolution of the cases through the courts with the promise of an out-of-court settlement, only to freeze the same process at the very point of implementing the decision of the Governing Council. It is a tactic to delay the wheels of justice and impose further, needless suffering on our members.”

ASUU wrote: “Based on what we know, the Governing Council (of the university), on the 23rd of February 2022 considered the report of its Committee on Grievances and concluded that the dismissals were unjust. It ordered the immediate reinstatement of the five officers of ASUU. The following day, however, news went around that the University Administration had been directed from Alausa (Government Secretariat) to put the implementation of the decision of Council on hold. The alleged reason was that the issues were also presented before the Visitation Panel set up by the Visitor. The Panel completed its work in February 2022 and submitted the report in September of the same year.

“Between then and now, ASUU has made several appeals to Governor Sanwo-Olu as the Visitor to LASU to release the White Paper of the visitation, and also lift the inexplicable embargo on the recall of our unjustly dismissed comrades, based on their exoneration by the Governing Council. Unfortunately, the position of the Visitor has been that of indifference. The questions that require answers at this point include: what are the offences of the ASUU leaders against Governor Sanwo-Olu, especially in LASU? Whose interest is Governor Sanwo-Olu protecting by preventing these men and woman from returning to their duty posts? How does the Governor relate this unconscionable deprivation of the means of livelihood of ASUU-LASU leaders with his labour-friendly mantra?…”

The union, therefore, urged the governor to release the White Paper on the report of the visitation panel to the university, saying the public whose tax money was deployed to assign the task to the panel deserves the right to know the details of the reports.

Backstory

The five affected lecturers were dismissed for various reasons by the management of the university in 2017 and 2018, leading to open conflict between the union and the management of the university.

Upon the completition of the five-year tenure of Mr Fagbohun as VC and the assumption of office of Mrs Olatunji-Bello, steps were taken by the new governing council to reinstate the dismissed lecturers.

However, while the governing council announced their reinstatement in February 2022, it, within 24 hours, rescinded the decision, placing embargo on its implementation until further notice.

However, ASUU has accused the governor of being responsible for the rescission of the decision, questioning the rationale behind the decision.