Gabriel Dike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday disowned the Dr. Ibrahim Bakare-led executives at Lagos State University (LASU).

The national body through ASUU Lagos Zone also revealed that the recognized branch did not participate in the two- strike by tertiary institutions workers in Lagos to press home the implementation of the new minimum wage.

In a statement signed by the Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Lagos Zone, Prof Olusiji Sowande, said those who prosecuted the two-day industrial action in LASU are unknown to any structure of the union.

His words: “The general public should please note that they are impostors using the good name of ASUU to achieve their opportunitic goals and possibly gain legitimacy with Lagos State Government.

“It is therefore amusing that a group parading themselves as ASUU-LASU executive under the leadership of one Dr. Ibrahim Bakare, declared a local strike in the name of our union, ASUU, on matters related to wage.”

Prof Sowande said ASUU members are currently on a nationwide national strike. He further noted that there are laid down procedure for the declaration of strike at the local level.

“The issue (s) must have been processed at the branch, through the zone and up to the National Executive Council (NEC). The NEC approval of the branch request for industrial action is a categorical imperative,” Sowande explained.

According to him, after NEC approval, the branch will give the mandatory 21 days, followed by the 14 days and seven days notices before the activation of the strike.

The zonal coordinator said the purported local strike in LASU was executed by a handful of academics claiming to represent ASUU-LASU along with other staff unions to agitate for the payment of the new minimum by workers of tertiary institutions in Lagos.

He said it is no longer news that ASUU members are on indefinite strike occasioned by the Federal Government’s failure to implement the 2009 FNG/ASUU agreement, 2019 Memorandum of Action and the forceful migration of members in public universities to the problematic and illegal Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).