25th August, 2015
The Management and academic staff of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete are at loggerheads over the inauguration of the local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The News Agency of Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the academic staff members have inaugurated a branch of ASUU with Dr Dauda Adeshola as its caretaker chairman.
Adeshola, in a release on Monday in Ilorin said that the union had also elected Dr Shehu AbdulGaniyi as Secretary preparatory to holding full election.
However, the Principal Protocol Officer of the university, Hajia Hamidat Yusuf dismissed the association, describing it as illegal, in another statement.
ASUU caretaker chairman, Adeshola said that he had informed the management of the university decision of the academic staff to inaugurate the local branch of the union.
He therefore urged members to be resolute in their determination to bargain for better conditions of service for ASUU members in the university.
He assured members that the branch of the union would not contravene the laid down rules and regulations of the institution.
He said the letter dated Aug. 17, titled: “Inauguration of ASUU, KWASU chapter” was addressed to the university registrar to officially inform him of the inauguration of a five-member caretaker committee.
“We pledge the loyalty of the union to the university authorities and the government of Kwara State.
“Kwara State University established in 2009 is now about to witness union activities after the five-year waiting period stipulated by both the National Universities Commission (NUC) and KWASU conditions of Service and Regulations,” he added.
But the Principal Protocol Officer in her circular said that the ASUU caretaker committee was cultic and combative.
The circular reads: “This is to inform the university community that the management is aware of groups of KWASU staff holding clandestine meetings in odd venues in Malete in the name of cultism or combative unionism.
“The university wishes to warn all concerned that this is illegal under KWASU rules and no nefarious clandestine group, no matter what name it disguised itself, will be recognised by the university.
“The university only recently attained five years of peaceful and purposeful academic calendar.
“An acceptable legal unionism for students, academic and non academic staff will be ushered in within an open framework with active participation of management and all concerned,” she added.
Yussuf declared that no amount of effort by the handful 17 academic staff that met outside the campus and held cultist meeting to create chaos in the school would succeed.
She said that the university had alerted the police and other security agencies on the nefarious activities of these staff with a view to curtailing their excesses.
“A timetable will be published at appropriate time for peaceful unionism.
“Some gangs are obviously sad about the peaceful nature of KWASU in the face of national difficulties and seek to cause disaffection with government,” Yussuf added.