The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of five former union leaders from Lagos State University (LASU) who were dismissed by the university’s management between 2017 and 2019.
On Tuesday, ASUU staged a peaceful rally on the LASU campus, urging Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who serves as the university’s visitor, to reinstate the sacked lecturers. The dismissed union leaders include Dr. Isaac Oyewumi (Chairman), Dr. Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu (Vice Chairman), Dr. Tony Dansu (Secretary), Dr. Adeolu Oyekan (Assistant Secretary), and Dr. Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare (Treasurer).
The terminations occurred under the administration of the former vice-chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, who cited various alleged offenses. Since the dismissals, ASUU’s national and Lagos zone leadership have denounced the actions as unjust and have demanded the reinstatement of their colleagues.
The rally, involving ASUU members from eight universities including the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB), and Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), featured demonstrators carrying placards with messages such as “ASUU leaders deserve justice,” “Justice for our ASUU-LASU leaders,” “Release White Paper on LASU Visitation Panel,” and “Recall sacked ASUU-LASU Five.” The protesters also sang solidarity songs as they moved around the campus.
Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, Lagos Zone Coordinator, represented by Prof. Kayode Adebayo, Chairman of ASUU UNILAG, reiterated the demand for Governor Sanwo-Olu to reinstate the lecturers without delay. He emphasized that the dismissals were unjust and urged the governor to address this “act of injustice.”
Prof. Odukoya also called for the release of the White Paper on the Visitation Panel’s findings, which were submitted to the governor over two years ago. He stressed that the findings were favorable to the dismissed lecturers and should be acted upon promptly. He noted that the five individuals have families depending on them and should not be punished for offenses they did not commit.
In response, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, Vice-Chancellor of LASU, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics Prof. Olufunsho Omobitan, assured the protesters that Governor Sanwo-Olu has instructed the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, to address the issue. The Vice-Chancellor promised that the matter would be resolved soon.
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