ASUU Raises Alarm Over Victimisation of Over 200 Members

The Ibadan Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns over the victimization of more than 200 members, citing unjust terminations and the deliberate withholding of owed salaries. In a statement released in Ibadan by the Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Oyebamiji Oyegoke, the union specifically accused the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), of targeting its members for opposing the controversial award of professorship to former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

ASUU noted that the Nigerian state, alongside university administrators, continues to undermine public universities, with members facing increasing repression. Over 120 union members were reportedly sacked at Kogi State University for participating in a strike, while Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma owes 28 months of salaries and has amended conditions of service unfairly.

The union expressed deep concern over the ongoing victimisation in several institutions, including Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University, Ebonyi State University (EBSU), and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU). At LASU, five ASUU leaders were dismissed on what the union described as trumped-up charges, despite a Visitation Panel recommending their reinstatement.

In COOU, ASUU’s members have been denied the right to hold regular congress meetings, with up to 12 months of unpaid salaries. At EBSU, the administration has appealed a court ruling that favoured victimised ASUU members, further prolonging the dispute.

ASUU has called on traditional, religious, and civil society leaders, along with labour movements, to demand the reinstatement of wrongfully dismissed members and the cessation of all forms of victimisation. They emphasized that adherence to the rule of law must be upheld in actions, not just in words.