Gabriel Dike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday made a passionate appeal to the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to immediately constitute a visitation panel to the Lagos State University (LASU) as a means of finding solutions to the lingering crisis plaguing the institution.
ASUU observed that the last time a panel was constituted for LASU was in 2009, thus the need to send one to look at the general administration of the university in the last ten years.
Addressing newsmen at the University of Lagos on LASU crisis, the coordinator, ASUU, Lagos Zone, Prof Olusiji Sowande, flanked by the chairmen and secretaries of five universities, said the visitation panel was expected to look into the affairs of the institution, stressing that the crisis between the vice-chancellor, Prof. Olarenwaju Fagbohun and ASUU staff could not be ignored.
In the six-page speech titled: ”Urgent need for visitation panel to LASU,” he drew the attention of Sanwo-Olu to the fact that LASU is long overdue for a visitation panel, adding that the law establishing the university clearly states that there will be a visitation at least once in five years.
His words: ”It has been ten years now (the last visitation was in 2009) since there was a visitation to LASU. As the visitor begins to shop for more credible and knowledgeable people to make up the governing council for the next four years, it is important that he makes the job of the governing council easy by constituting a visitation panel in accordance with the law.”
Prof Sowande explained that in the last three years, the union engaged the LASU administration over the illegalities and arbitrariness that have become a pattern in the administration of the university.
According to him, many of the contentious issues include the cover-up of the mismanagement of over N1.3billion of NEEDS Assessment funds by the preceding administration, agitation for the payment of the accrued Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) in the last ten years.
Others demands were the dismissal of ASUU LASU chairperson and his vice, plans to dismiss the remaining exco on one flimsy excuse, noting that recently, the financial secretary and the immediate past chairman were issued queries while the secretary, his assistant, and treasurer were facing university disciplinary panels on a fictitious claim of being in illegal possession of confidential documents.
The ASUU coordinator also said the visitation panel when constitute should look into the professorial appointment of pro-Fagbohun which it alleged were backdated by the former registrar, Mr. Akinwunmi Lewis and that while awaiting the certified true copy of the National Industrial Court preliminary objection, the university management had resuscitated the panels that were suspended at the start of court proceedings.
He said another issue waiting for the panel attention was the illegal diversion of pension funds of LASU staff to purchase vehicles for some staff and the council chairman, purportedly for accreditation of programmes.
Sowande disclosed that the union drew the attention of the former visitor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to the many developments via about 30 letters without success.
The union leader further revealed that the VC since January 2019, had stopped the deduction and remittance of check off dues of ASUU LASU branch.
”Our union is calling on the visitor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to put a stop to these attacks on our union by the administration of LASU. It is our hope that the appropriate authorities will do the needful while there is still time”, he stated.