ASUU flays KWASU’s suspension of union members

Suspension of six executive members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Kwara State University, KWASU chapter, by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, for participating in union activities, has been condemned by Ibadan zone of the union.

Zonal Coordinator of the union, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, gave the condemnation in a statement issued yesterday and made available to journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

He said the action of the university was autocratic, anti-union, undemocratic and a breach of the fundamental rights of the academic staff members to freedom of association granted by the Nigerian Constitution after duly informing management of the institution of its plan to hold a congress.

The six suspended lecturers are Dr. Dauda Adeshola (chairman), Dr. Gafaru Olaiwola Olorisade (secretary), Prof. Innocent Okoye, Prof. Christopher Odetunde, Dr. Ayotunde Alao and Mr. Paul Kunle Dairo.

According to him, the punishment meted out to the suspended members include barring them from having access to the university campus; facing Senior Staff disciplinary committee; placing them on half salary and handover of all university properties in their possession to the Head of Department or Provost, as the case may be.

It would be recalled that the university is under the Ibadan Zone of ASUU being coordinated by Ajiboye.

Ajiboye disclosed that academic staff members at Kwara State University were granted observer status of ASUU during the last National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the union at Imo State University, Owerri, between October 10 and 11.

While calling on the university management to recall the suspended ASUU members, he urged Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to prevail on the university to allow free unionism and academic freedom thrive.

In a letter titled, ‘Suspension from Duty’ signed by the university registrar, Mr. Surajudeen Oyebode, and addressed to the suspended members, the institution claimed: “It has been reported to the university management that on Tuesday October 28, 2015, you were among a group of academic staff found holding a meeting in the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Open Theatre for which no permission was granted for its use. In an attempt by the Chief Security Officer of the university to explain to the gathering that the facility could not be used for the meeting since there was no permission sought or granted, he was not only abused in the process, he was harassed as well by the group.

“Using the VPA Open Theatre without official permission and harassing/ abusing an officer of the university while performing his lawful duty have been deemed to be acts of gross misconduct which are not only inimical to the integrity of the university but also undermined its authority,” the letter further stated.

The registrar added that the university management approved the suspension of the six academic staff with immediate effect until further notice having “contravened the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for staff.”