Visitation Panel Overdue at LASU, Says ASUU

Visitation Panel Overdue at LASU, Says ASUU

Source: This Day Life

 Lagos State University (LASU) 

The Lagos State Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the state government to constitute a visitation panel to the Lagos State University (LASU) to save the institution from what it described as a culture of anarchy and disorderliness being perpetrated by the university administration.

The union expressed concern that the last visitation panel to the university was in 2009 and, according to the law, the university should be visited a maximum of five years after the last visit. This, it said ,gave room for the anomaly at the institution.

Briefing journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, the Zonal Coordinator, (Lagos), Dr. Sola Nasir, accused the university administration of fanning the embers of crisis, discord, thereby enthroning the culture of mediocrity and intimidation, rather than entrenching standard academic practices.

“After the strike in LASU by ASUU, which was suspended on July 14, 2014, the union had hoped that best practices would be enthroned and permanent peace embraced by all the stakeholders in LASU. Our union is however surprised to note with regrets that the contrary is the case.”

The union stated that its branches in the zone and at the national levels are trying to entrench peace and academic development in the institution, but accused the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oladapo Obafunwa of having a different agenda for LASU and Lagos State considering some irregularities, which it termed avoidable problems that the vice-chancellor has upheld.

According to ASUU, the 2013 promotion exercise was inconclusive, adding that selective promotions were done by the VC and the submission of ASUU-LASU was ignored with insignificant percentage. It said the 2014 promotion exercise has not been done, but advertisement for appointments has been sent out.

The union also accused the vice-chancellor of subverting the university laws when he placed one Prof. Tunde Fatunde on interdiction without any (proven) criminal offence, which the conditions of service presupposed for the interdiction of any erring staff.

ASUU also accused Obafunwa of irregular appointment, encouraging parallel senate, improper composition of council, doctoring of documents/reports, misguiding council, among others and appealed to the state government and other stakeholders of the university to call the vice-chancellor to order to give peace a chance in the university.