ASUU Goes On Protest

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has embarked on a rally today, Tuesday, against the dismissal of five lecturers at Lagos State University, Ojo.

A statement released by ASUU Owerri Zone said the lecturers were illegally dismissed.

The rally commenced at 10 am.

According to the letter, the union also listed other institutions where its members are facing victimisation, including 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.

The statement reads in part, “Fellow Nigerian and compatriots, we are disheartened by the deliberate reluctance of the respective university administration governing councils and visitors of the stated universities to halt the spiralling victimisation of academic staff for all standing for truth.

“The victimisation suffered by our members ranges from dismissal from service, suspension from duty and statutory meetings, denial of promotion, deliberate seizure of salaries, non-payment of promotion arrears, non-responsibility by seeking the truth, finding the truth, teaching the truth and defending the truth.

“ASUU is particularly disturbed at the seeming travesty of justice in the judgment delivered against our members at the Kogi State University, Anyigba, after seven years of waiting!”

In 2019, the university’s management dismissed several ASUU members, including Isaac Oyewumi, the union’s chairman; Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, vice chairman; Dr. Tony Dansu, secretary; Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan, assistant secretary; and Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare, treasurer.

The university asserted that accusations of unauthorised removal, retention, distribution, or publication of official confidential documents led to the dismissal of the lecturers.

However, the affected lecturers had refuted the allegations, according to previous reports.