Residents of Ikoga-Zebbe, Badagry Local Government Area, Lagos, have called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reinstate Anthony Dansu and four other officials of the Lagos State University (LASU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, who were wrongfully sacked in 2019.
They were fired after being charged with unlawful removal, retention, dissemination, or publication of official confidential documents.
The lecturers – Isaac Oyewumi, the union’s Chairman; Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, Vice Chairman; Mr Dansu, Secretary; Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan, Assistant Secretary; and Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare, Treasurer – were dismissed during the university’s governing council’s 122nd meeting on September 12, 2019.
Before being dismissed, Dansu, Oyekan, and Aboderin-Shonibare approached the court to challenge the university’s action against them.
Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae of the National Industrial Court, Lagos in suit NICN/LA/493/2018, ruled on July 11, 2019: “Under the Freedom of Information Act and other relevant laws cited, the university authorities have no such powers to proceed against officers of the union in these cases; that both parties are creations of law, and must therefore respect the law.
“Given that the issue was not due for judicial review since no damage had been done yet; even as the court was mindful of the breach of constitutional rights of the officers by the university authority, the two parties should go and follow the path of the law for the sake of peace, order and good administration in the university and its community,” it added.
The LASU’s management, however, proceeded with the trials and saw them conclusively to their dismissals.
The residents carried placards with inscriptions such as “Dear Governor Sanwo-Olu, please correct this injustice. #RestoreDrDansu”, “Reinstate Dr Tony Dansu and others”, among others.
In February 2022, the David Sunmoni-led governing council of the university reinstated the lecturers after an Appeal Committee headed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Adenike Boyo, cleared the lecturers of all offences and recommended their reinstatement.
But, 48 hours after the governing council approved its appeal committee’s recommendation, the same governing council ruled to put the recall of the lecturers on hold.
The state government has yet to approve the reinstatement of the lecturers more than two years later.
In a release signed by Mayowa Adejobi, James Avoseh, Ademola Bokoh, Tinka Gabrie, Francis Avoseh, and Medemaku Noah, the protesting indigenous people of the town stated that the school’s management fired him and others for exposing some illegal acts.
The residents called on Sanwo-Olu, the visitor to LASU, to reinstate the affected officers of ASUU-LASU by lifting the embargo he placed on implementing the decision of the LASU governing council on the five union officers.
They further requested that all accrued financial entitlements and benefits be paid to the affected lecturers, and promotions merited should be given without loss of seniority and entitlements.
Mide Abayomi, an indigene of the community and alumnus of LASU, implored Sanwo-Olu to recall the lecturers back to work so that the university community can grow.
“We want Governor Sanwo-Olu to reinstate the five lecturers to the varsity so that the current students of the institution could benefit from their expertise, which I and some others had benefited from in the past. LASU community misses them (the five affected lecturers),” he said.
Solomon Peter, another alumnus of LASU, urged Mr Sanwo-Olu not to delay justice in the cause and act swiftly by considering the affected varsity tutors.
Peter said, “We are pleading that Sanwo-Olu reinstates Dr Dansu and four others. Let justice prevail. All the community leaders in the kingdom should please do what is needed for the benefit of Lagosians and the institutional community at large.”