Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

 

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) at the University of Ibadan have dismissed the viral news that members of the two unions pelted members of the Governing Council of the institution with sachet water and stones on October 28, 2020.

The SSANU Chairman, Wale Akinremi, who doubles as the chairman of the Joint Action Council (JAC) of the university, made the disclosure on Thursday in their reaction to the resolution of the Senate of the institution that on Wednesday held an emergency meeting and recommended SSANU and NASU members that took part in the protest for immediate sanction. The Senate also said the protesters disrespected the council’s chairman, Dr. Joshua Waklek, with the protest, which was staged against the process of the appointment of a new vice chancellor.

Akinremi also said: “The responsibility of Senate is purely academic, not union matters. We want the Federal Government to pay academic staff because idleness is affecting them. Senate has no right to sit on our matters. They don’t have right to sit on our matters.

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“That is not true representation of UI Senate. It is shallow. That shows that they have lost it. We have over 600 members of Senate and only 188 attended the meeting, though 20 of them can form a quorum. They don’t have right to sit on our right.

“We will not use our energy to address what they said. We can’t take them seriously. It is not a reflection of the University of Ibadan Senate.

“Those people who sat at Senate on Wednesday are unserious people, anti-people. When was the last time they discussed about the management of UI? The idle people that sat yesterday (Wednesday) are not discussing strike. We will not use our energy to discuss what people who are not discussing ASUU strike are saying.

“All Nigerians have a say in the public facility. We have right to say something on UI VC. Those people are mentally idle.’