ASUU protests suspension of 6 KWASU executive members

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ASUU protests suspension of 6 KWASU executive members
 
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) wednesday kicked against
the unilateral suspension of six executive members of the union by the Vice Chancellor of Kwara State University (KWASU),  Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah for participating in union activities.
ASUU in a statement signed by its Ibadan Zonal Coordinator, Professor Segun Ajiboye said the action of the university was autocratic, anti-union, undemocratic and a breach of the fundamental rights of the academic staff members to freedom of association granted by the Nigerian constitution after dully informing the management of the Institution of its plan to hold a congress.
According to ASUU, the six suspended lecturers are Dr Dauda Adeshola (Chairman), Dr Gafaru Olaiwola Olorisade (Secretary), Professor Innocent Okoye, Professor Christopher Odetunde, Dr Ayotunde Alao and Mr Paul Kunle Dairo.
The union stressed that the suspended members were barred from having access to the university campus; will face Senior Staff  Disciplinary Committee; ask to hand-over all university properties in their possession to the Heads of Department or Provost; and will be placed on half salary until the resolution of the matter.
Professor Ajiboye in the statement added that “staff members at the Kwara State University have been granted observer status in ASUU at the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Imo State University, Owerri from 10th to 11th October, 2015”.
ASUU while asking the university administration to recall all the suspended members ,called on Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara State to prevail on the university administration to allow free unionism and academic freedom for the total liberation of education in Nigeria.
ASUU recalled that a letter titled ‘Suspension from Duty’ signed by the Registrar, Surajudeen Oyebode and addressed to the suspended members, claimed that “It has been reported to the University management that on Tuesday 28th, 2015 you were among a group of academic staff found holding a meeting in the Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) Open Theatre for which no permission was granted for the use of the facility. In an attempt by the Chief Safety Officer of the University to explain to the gathering that the facility could not be used for the meeting since there was no permission sought or granted, he was not only abused in the process, he was harassed as well by the group”
According to the University, “using the VPA Open Theatre without official permission and harassing and abusing an officer of the University while performing his lawful duty have been deemed to be acts of gross misconduct which are not only inimical to the integrity of the University but also undermined the authority of the University”
Consequently, the registrar stated that the university management approved the suspension of the six academic staff with immediate effect until further notice having “contravened the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Staff”.

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