Leadership (Abuja)
Mahmoud Muhammad
18 February 2008
Sokoto — The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a one-week warning strike, beginning from today. At a press conference in Sokoto yesterday the national president of ASUU, Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano, stated that the union took the decision because it had exhausted all amicable avenues through which the problem of the sacked University of Ilorin lecturers would have been resolved.
He said ASUU had, since 2001, presented its case before several bodies, including individuals, adding that these bodies and individuals have found the 49 lecturers to have been wrongfully and unlawfully sacked and recommended for their recall, a recommendation which has not been adhered to.
According to Sule-Kano, "The FGN-ASUU Implementation Committee on the 2001 Agreement established that 'the affected staff were at the time of termination actually on national strike directed by ASUU NEC.
"It recommended that the action of the university should be reversed in line with the non-victimisation clause of the FGN-ASUU Agreement of June 30 2001."
He disclosed that the then minister of education, Dr. Babalola Borishade, wrote to former President Olusegun Obasanjo seeking his approval to recall the affected lecturers, adding that the Federal Government Committee on Politically Victimised Students and Lecturers, in 2002, also recommended the reinstatement of the lecturers, even as the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, (NIREC) in 2003 and International Labour Organisation, ILO in 2004, established that the lecturers were sacked for political reasons and therefore recommended for their recall.
According to Sule-Kano, "Nothing has been done."
He observed that Nigerian and non-Nigerian scholars refused to come and join ASUU in repositioning Nigerian universities because they would not leave secure jobs "for a country where governments do not fulfill agreements and collude with special interests to sustain injustice in the university system as in the case of the UniIlorin 49."
"It is within the distribution of power in the university, according to the statute, to ask Council to reverse the wrongful termination of jobs in the University of Ilorin," Sule-Kano said. "This is because the visitor directs the Council to act, correct mistakes and investigate on all matters raised in all Visitation Panel Reports on all universities. The visitor's directives are mandatory and not advisory. No viable system can be erected on injustice in a democratic society. Justice and freedom are the very basis on which academic and intellectual traditions are built.
"Accordingly, since all efforts to get government to make satisfactory progress in reinstating the UniIlorin 49 have been rebuffed. All ASUU branches shall go on a one-week warning strike between Monday, February 18 and Friday 22nd 2008."
He explained that since many people who squandered Nigeria's money and ruined the economy as well as those who committed sundry crimes were granted state pardon, he sees no reason why such a gesture cannot be extended to the scholars who had not even committed any offence.
He appealed to all well- meaning Nigerians, organisations and individuals to prevail on the government to resolve the problem, stressing that the ASUU should not be held responsible for any prolonged crisis resulting from government's inaction.
The lecturers sacked in 2001 included Professors E.O.O. Odelowo, (Surgery) and foundation dean of the College of Health Sciences at the UniIlorin; B.T. Olufeagba (Electrical Engineering), A. Shittu-Agbetola, (Religions); J.E. Adegbija (now late) (Modern European Languages); A. Anjorin (Pathology); A. E. Annor (now late) (Geology); Bisi Ogunsina (Linguistics); Akanji Nasiru (Performing Arts); S. O. Oduleye (Biological Sciences) and PHD and non-PHD holders.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
