By Adesina Wahab

Recently, the Governing Council of the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, Lagos met and took some decisions. Among the decisions was the promotion of hundreds of staff, academic and non-academic. Also, eight staff, both academic and non-academic were sacked.

LASU

As usual in journalism practice, the sack of some staff, especially, the academic ones, dominated the media space. The reason is not farfetched, the sacked lecturers were leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in the school.

Their sack also came on the heels of the sack of some ASUU leaders two years ago in the same institution. There is no doubt that the issue of those sacked in 2017, who are still in court challenging their dismissal, precipitated the recent development.

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A cursory look of happenings in the school since the sack of some lecturers in 2017 points to the fact that it was probably in the bid to fight for their colleagues and get even with the management of the school that the issue of unlawful possession of confidential documents that led to three lecturers being axed came up.

It was after the 2017 incident that the file of the current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, was allegedly tampered with in the Faculty of Law. Some documents in the file were allegedly taken and published by some people.

Dr Tony Dansu, Dr Adeolu Oyekan and Dr Oluwakemi Adebisi Aboderin-Shonibare, all officers of the local chapter of ASUU were dismissed by the Council with immediate effect.

There have been allegations and counter-allegations, but there is nothing bad if the submission of the Chairman of the Conflict Resolution Committee of the school, Prof. Anetekhai Martin, is given consideration.

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During a briefing of media men by some senior lecturers in the university, he said the issue ought not to degenerate if some steps had been taken.

He called on the parties to take steps that would not heat up the system and find amicable settlement of the matter. He said being a union leader is not a licence to commit illegal act, but that lecturers must see themselves as goodwill ambassadors of the school.

The affected staff members can still appeal to the Council to reconsider their issues, they can still go to the State Governor, who is the Visitor to the university or go to court.

Whatever action they decide to take, nothing must affect the peace and tranquility being enjoyed in the school.

Vanguard