The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Abuja Zone has condemned the rising victimisation of its members across the country.
The coordinator of the zone, Salahu Mohammed Lawal, who made this statement while addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, outlined a troubling pattern of abuse affecting academic staff at several institutions.
The press conference followed the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ASUU held at the University of Ibadan on Saturday, 17th, and Sunday, 18th August 2024, aimed to inform Nigerians and the public about disturbing trends in public universities.
The affected institutions, he said include Kogi State University, Lagos State University (LASU), Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Ambrose Alli University, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU).
The union highlighted severe issues such as unwarranted dismissals, non-payment of salaries, denial of promotions, and suppression of union activities.
At Kogi State University, it said the situation escalated to a strike that led to the dismissal of 120 staff members in 2017, with minimal progress in legal redress.
He noted that LASU has also experienced a crackdown on union activities and unjust dismissals of leadership members, while EBSU’s administration faces accusations of political interference and neglect, while Ambrose Alli University’s intervention team has been criticized for severe staff mistreatment.
Lawal also criticised FUTO for suppressing union activities, particularly concerning the controversial promotion of a sitting minister, saying that COOU has seen its union members physically harassed and salaries withheld, with allegations of the university administration destroying union property.
Lawal further urged the federal government and university visitors to address these issues promptly to prevent further industrial unrest.
He called for solidarity from Nigerians and emphasized that the union would continue its struggle against the oppression faced by academic staff.
“These trends have reduced our members to slaves in the universities where they should be critical stakeholders, due to various forms of victimisation including suspension from duty, denial of promotion, deliberate withholding of salaries, dismissal from service without due process, and stifling of union activities. We are deeply concerned about this troubling trend.
“From the foregoing, it is clear that there is a trend in our public universities that may lead to unwarranted and avoidable industrial disharmony. Our Union will not sit idly by while Visitors to the Universities and some overzealous University Administrators erode the culture of academic excellence and rule of law as guaranteed in the University Acts and, ultimately, the constitution of the Federal Republic.
“We therefore call on all Visitors to the affected State Universities and the Federal Government, in the case of FUTO, to promptly address these issues to prevent our campuses from becoming battlegrounds.
“We also call on all Nigerians to urge the Government to make the Nigerian university system functional to meet the nation’s needs and aspirations,” he added.
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