The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Lagos zone has appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reinstate five “unjustly dismissed” lecturers of the Lagos State University (LASU). The appeal was made during a protest on Tuesday in solidarity with their members at LASU.
ASUU coordinator, Prof Adelaja Odukoya, stated that the alleged victimisation of legitimate ASUU leaders at LASU had been a public issue for about seven years. He said, “Since then, ASUU has made several appeals to Governor Sanwo-Olu… to release the White Paper from the visitation report and lift the unjust embargo on the reinstatement of the wrongfully dismissed comrades, as exonerated by the Governing Council.”
The protesters carried placards with messages such as “Dear Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dr. Tony Dansu’s Contributions to Education are Invaluable, Reinstate Him and Others” and “Let Justice Prevail.”
Odukoya questioned the governor’s indifference, asking, “What are the ASUU leaders’ offences against Governor Sanwo-Olu, particularly at LASU? Whose interests is the governor protecting by preventing these individuals from returning to their posts?”
The five lecturers were dismissed between September 2017 and September 2019 by the previous Governing Council on account of charges brought against them by the administration of a former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun.
ASUU branches from various universities were represented at the rally, which marched peacefully around the Ojo campus. The union seeks justice and reinstatement for their “wrongfully dismissed comrades.”
