The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will stage a rally today, Tuesday, to protest the dismissal of five lecturers from Lagos State University, Ojo.
According to a statement from ASUU Owerri Zone, the dismissals were deemed illegal.
The rally is set to begin at 10 a.m.
In their statement, the union also highlighted other institutions where members are reportedly facing victimization. These include Kogi State University (KSU), Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma (AAUE) in Edo State, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) in Anambra State, and the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) in Imo State.
The statement reads in part, “Fellow Nigerian and compatriots, we are disheartened by the deliberate reluctance of the respective university administration governing councils and visitors of the stated universities to halt the spiralling victimisation of academic staff for all standing for truth.
“The victimisation suffered by our members ranges from dismissal from service, suspension from duty and statutory meetings, denial of promotion, deliberate seizure of salaries, non-payment of promotion arrears, non-responsibility by seeking the truth, finding the truth, teaching the truth and defending the truth.
“ASUU is particularly disturbed at the seeming travesty of justice in the judgment delivered against our members at the Kogi State University, Anyigba, after seven years of waiting!”
In 2019, the university administration dismissed several ASUU members, including Isaac Oyewumi, the union’s chairman; Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, vice chairman; Dr. Tony Dansu, secretary; Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan, assistant secretary; and Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare, treasurer.
The university claimed that the dismissals were due to accusations of unauthorized removal, retention, distribution, or publication of confidential official documents.
However, previous reports indicated that the affected lecturers had denied these allegations.