By Khalid Idris Doya
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Bauchi zone has in consonance with its national secretariat join the solidarity rally in sympathy to some of the union's victimized members in some universities across the country.
It could be recalled that the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU met at the University of Ibadan on 17th and 18th August, 2024, during which it reviewed the state of its engagements with the Federal and State Governments.
The Union's council was aimed at repositioning Nigeria's public universities for global reckoning, by arresting the worsening living and working conditions in the universities and the nation at large.
Members of the Union victimised are staff of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo; Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba; Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki; Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma; Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and Chukwuemeko Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday at ATBU, the Bauchi zonal coordinator of the Union, Professor O. A Timothy Namo said their members have suffered and are still suffering untold hardship, saying, this is unacceptable.
He said the aim was to draw the attention of all critical stakeholders to the unjustifiable and excruciating hardship being meted to their colleagues in the aforementioned universities.
"Our union is worried that the respective visitors and administrators of these universities have continued to victimize our members through wicked actions including, but not limited to, termination of appointments, and suspension from work", Namo stated.
Professor Timothy Namo gave other victimization as withholding of salaries and allowances, denial and delay of promotion, exclusion from statutory meetings and non-remittance of union dues and other third-party deductions.
He said, "Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo: In LASU, there has been a running battle against our union which resulted in the victimisation of five leaders of the Union who have been sacked. Despite the submission of the Visitation Panel report more than two years ago, the State Government has refused to release and implement the White Paper".
Professor Namo therefore called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to direct the immediate reinstatement of the unjustly sacked colleagues, warning that the union has resolved to immediately re-activate sanctions imposed on LASU.
To this end, he said, the Union has blacklisted LASU and directed its members to avoid any engagement in LASU such as external examination, Visitation Panel, sabbatical, conference attendance, accreditation exercise, resource verification and any form of collaboration.
"The Union in Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba has had a long history of struggles primarily aimed at improving the academic standards and physical infrastructures of the Institution as well as the welfare of its members".
Namo said however that due to the unpatriotic actions of the State Government and the University Administration, Kogi State University Anyigba is today a shadow of its past glory, having fallen short of the dreams of its founding fathers.
He added that in Kogi State University one hundred and twenty (120) of their members, some of whom have died, have been illegally and unjustly sacked, "It is sad to note that these members have neither been accused of any infringements nor convicted of any crime. We hereby call on the Kogi State Governor to recall these colleagues in the interest of justice and the progress of the University".
"In Ebonyi State University (EBSU), there is obvious lack of infrastructural development, erosion of the university autonomy, by some political interests and our members are being victimized for speaking the truth to power by demanding that the owners and administrators of the University should live up to expectations. This has led to the unjustifiable suspension of the Chairperson of the Union and his predecessor. We demand their immediate recall".
"In Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma, there has also been a running battle between the State Government/University Administration and the Union, leading to the seizure of salaries of some of our committed members for many months, non-remittance of third-party deductions and the autocratic running of the University using Special Intervention Team (SIT) which is alien to the University laws".
"Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO): The FUTO and her cohor'ts have continued to unjustly punish our faithful members at the Branch because of their patriotic stand against the illegal appointment/promotion of one Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami to the rank of Professor. We demand the reversal of the illegal actions of the Vice- Chancellor against our members in the Branch. We call on the Vice-Chancellor to act sanely and respect the laws of the University".
"Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam has locked up the secretariat of our Union and prevented our members from holding meetings. The salaries of our faithful members have also been withheld for up to a year with some of our members being suspended mainly due to their opposition to the violation of academic standards by the University Administration. This is the height of infringement on the fundamental rights of our members".
The Bauchi Zonal Coordinator then called on the visitors and Vice-Chancellors of these universities to stop the unjustifiable victimisation of their members and to re-instate those who have been sacked, suspecting that the judiciary is colluding with some of these persecutors to delay and/or deny justice to their members.
"We, hereby appeal to the judiciary to accelerate the legal process and serve justice to our members. Now that some of our victimized members have died, some out of frustration while fighting the injustice perpetrated against them, who will plead their case? We appeal to all stakeholders to join their voices with ours and prevail on the respective authorities of these universities to reverse their evil actions against our members".
The Bauchi zone in sympathy with colleagues in other tertiary institutions are University of Jos, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi: Federal University Kashere, Gombe State University, Gombe; Plateau State University. Bokkos and Sa'adu Zungur University, Bauchi).
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