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By Gabriel Dike
The Lagos State Government has addressed some of the grievances raised by the four staff unions of Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).
The staff unions, under the umbrella of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), had written a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to draw his attention to alleged infringements of LASUSTECH law by the Governing Council.
In a swift reaction, the state government invited leaders of the four staff unions and addressed some of the issues in the SOS letter.
The SOS, titled “Save Us From Available Crisis”, dated September 26 and signed by the four chairmen of JAC, which include the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologist (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) LASUSTECH chapter, Ikorodu, was copied the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly.
The unions also faulted the continued stay of the Governing Council’s chairman, who is a staff of the University of Lagos, which is contrary to the law that states the occupier must be a retired public servant.
According to the SOS, the unions are worried that some of those engaged to implement the transmutation exercise are undermining the process, with several contraventions of the law establishing the university.
“As critical stakeholders in the university, the unions have lent their support to every good intention of the government in the transmutation process. However, this must be seen to be consistent with established law and the competitiveness of universities globally. We are not ignorant of the importance of ensuring a successful transmutation of the defunct Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, to the Lagos State University of Science and Technology.
“It is in this spirit that we wish to highlight some identified errors and violations that have been committed and that seem to be ongoing in the implementation by the governing council and the technical committee.”
JAC revealed that the council and the technical committee continue violate the law establishing the university.
The unions informed the governor that, under Statute 1 of the university’s law, the governing council would be under a chairman who is not a public servant, “however, in gross violation of this section, our chairman is a serving public servant, a professor from the University of Lagos.’’
They observed that Section 68, sub-section 3, of the law states that; “Any term or period for which any person had served in any office or post immediately before the appointed day shall be taken into account for the purpose of determining the term or period for which he is eligible to serve in such office or post or by virtue of this law.”
JAC said, unfortunately, the term of a deputy rector in the defunct polytechnic, who by virtue of the section quoted above was made the acting deputy vice-chancellor, and his term continuously extended even after the expiration of his tenure in June 2022.
The unions pointed out that the first schedule of the law, under principal officers and other members of staff of the university provides that, the offices of the Registrar, Bursar, and Librarian of the defunct polytechnic be declared substantive for the university to complete their terms.
The workers, however, informed the governor that without regard to this section, the principal officers were said to be in an acting capacity.
It stated: “Most of our staff members, especially those on grade level 14 in the non-teaching category, have lost income, against the government’s promises that none of our members will lose income.
‘’The most absurd of them all is that the list of courses for the university was advertised through the Office of the Special Adviser on Education hence, undermining the office of the university Registrar, which is contrary to the global practice and a gross violation of the law establishing the university.’’
They said most of the courses advertised were marred with errors to which necessary amendments and corrections cannot be effected without the constitution of the university Senate in whose portfolio it belongs.
Also, JAC faulted the letter of re-designation recently issued to staff under the guise of the University Conditions of Service that is yet to be adopted by the Senate.
“It is a fact that the said Conditions of Service, though drafted, had not yet gone through the university Senate nor the approval of the Council. The said re-designation was done in contradiction to the promises that no member of staff shall lose his/her dignity, as members were made to lose two grade levels in the name of re-alignment, the unions stated.’’
Another aberration JAC pointed out is that the university’s cut-off mark for the 2022/2023 admission exercise was illegally fixed by the governing council, contrary to section 15 of the university law, which empowers the Senate for the purpose.
They explained that the university governing council has overtaken most of the functions of the university Senate.
JAC warned that the plots to change the head of the unions and the administrative leadership of LASUSTECH in contrary to the transitional and saving provisions of the Law establishing the university, thereby causing instability in the nascent institution.
The unions also warned that continuous delay in the inauguration of the Senate after months of Council inauguration is an aberration of the process of transmutation, and an attempt at running the university without its Senate.
The unions demanded an immediate stoppage of further violations of the Law establishing LASUSTECH and an immediate reversal of already violated ones, the Senate be constituted without further delay, strict adherence to the Law establishing the university, especially on the transition and saving provisions be adopted, and that the leadership of the unions be left intact.
