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Gabriel Dike
The Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun has been sanctioned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for anti-union activities.
The imposition of sanctions on Prof. Fagbohun was taken by ASUU National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held recently at Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT).
But Fagbohun during the pre-convocation ceremony briefing said he is not aware of any sanctions by ASUU and that no communication on the subject matter has reached him.
Also, over 100 academic staff involved in anti-union activities would be sanctioned by the national body, especially those who signed the letter asking the VC to stop the remittance of check-off dues to the recognized ASUU-LASU executives.
The Education Report learnt that NEC took the report of its Ad hoc committee on LASU and resolved that sanctions be imposed on LASU. ASUU highest decision making organ resolved that the VC should be considered as an enemy of the union.
Prof. Fagbohun was also barred from sabbatical leave, visitation, part-time lectureship, external examinations, external assessments, conferences, workshops, research collaborations visit to and from LASU.
By this decision, Prof. Fagbohun becomes the third vice chancellor to be declared persona -non–grata by ASUU. The two others were from the University of Ilorin, during the prolonged crisis.
NEC further resolved that legal action should be taken against the impostor grouped individually or collectively (Dr. Adeolu Bakare- led exco).
The union said its lawyers will reply to the VC’s letter of February 4, 2020, to put the record about the “election of new ASUU-LASU executives” straight. NEC further directed that branches should inform their university management about the sanctions against LASU, to avoid any of the affected persons being invited for programmes.
The Education Report gathered that aside from the 97 lecturers who wrote to stop the check-off dues, another group that wrote to the VC in January 2019 to ask the VC to seal off ASUU secretariat will be sanctioned.
Responding to the sanctions by ASUU, Fagbohun described the letter been circulated as unfortunate. “I have not received any letter from ASUU national. The letter circulating on campus was signed by two former staff, Dr. Tony Dansu, and Dr, Adeola Oyekan.
“When I read the letter, I decided not to respond. Our national body has not sent any letter to me. The fundamental question ASUU national should ask is how come SSANU, NASU, and NANT are not complaining about this administration. The few individuals close to ASUU national are misinforming the national body.
“I will never deny the reality and what is the reality?, that Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi is my national president. I am a member of ASUU LASU. It is left for my branch (Dr. Bakare-led exco) to sort out any issue with our national body.”
A top member of NEC told the Education Report that Dr. Bakare and his illegal executives will face the branch ethics committee and if found guilty, the report will be sent to the zone for consideration and forwarded to the national body for a final decision.
The senior NEC member recalled that in 2016, Dr. Ayodele Asokere, whose group purported to have sacked the recognised ASUU-LASU executives was expelled from the union while 22 others were placed on indefinite suspension.
He said on the current crisis, the recognised executive will forward names of academic staff behind the emergency of Dr. Bakare-led executives for sanction.
