Gbenro Adesina
Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) at the University of Ibadan (UI) today reacted to the emergency meeting of the Institution’s Senate held yesterday, November 4, 2020 and its resolution, describing the Senate members who attended the meeting as idle individuals.
The Unions further pointed out that the Senate of the institution lacked the power to discipline any of their members, noting that the Senate’s role is purely academic.
Speaking on behalf of the two unions at a Press conference held today, November 5, 2020, the Chairman of SSANU, Wale Akinremi, noted that it was not the responsibility of the Senate to dabble into unions matters.
The unions called on the Federal Government to pay members of ASUU so that they could return to work and be meaningfully engaged rather than meddling with what did not concern them.
Akinremi argued that for 188 out of 600 members to sit shows that the outcome of the meeting was not a true reflection of the University Senate.
His words, “We will not use our energy to address what they said. We can’t take them seriously. It is not a reflection of the University of Ibadan Senate. Those people who sat at Senate on Wednesday are unserious people, anti-people. When was the last time they discussed about the management of UI? The idle people that sat yesterday are not discussing strike. We will not use our energy to discuss what people who are not discussing ASUU strike are saying. All Nigerians have a say in the public facility. We have right to say something on UI VC. Those people are idle”.
According to a statement signed by Timothy Ohiuan, NASU ex-officio COM, Akinlade, NASU Chairman COM, O. Akinpelu, NASU Secretary UI, J. Etim, NASU Chairman UI, R. Omisore, SSANU Secretary UI and A. Akinremi, SSANU Chairman UI, the unions said, “We plead with the Federal Government to please pay the salaries of the university teachers because it is apparent that idleness is affecting some of our friends on the other side”.
They said, “There is the need to correct the erroneous impression of any paid worker in the University, irrespective of the status, that the university is their fiefdom. They run the universities like their captured territories. The rottenness in the university system, the servitude, the pillaging, the stealing, the oppression, the abuse of power, the crumbs scavenging, the divide and rule here dwarfs what you see in town! They have so much destroyed the university system to the extent that it is the town that impact the gown now. This cannot continue for ever”.
“We encourage our members to see the gathering of Omole and his theatre troupe TT as a comic relief setting”, the unions added.
Among the staff that attended the emergency Senate meeting, which was presided over by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Professor Adebola Ekanola were: Deputy Vice Chancellor (RISP), Professor Olanike Adeyemo, the Registrar, Olubunmi Faluyi, Professor Oluyemisi Bangbose (SAN) and former Chairman of the UI Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Deji Omole.
However, investigation revealed that the quorum for the convocation of a Senate meeting in the institution is 20 and the meeting of Wednesday November 4, 2020, was an emergency meeting which was invoked by 171 signatories.
