The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos zone, has called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reinstate five lecturers from Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, who they claim were unjustly dismissed. The plea was made during a peaceful protest on Tuesday, as the union rallied in solidarity with their colleagues, who were exonerated by the university’s Governing Council.
Addressing reporters before the rally, the Lagos zonal coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, criticised the prolonged victimisation of ASUU leaders at LASU, a conflict that has spanned nearly seven years. According to Odukoya, the wrongful dismissal of these academics had become a public issue, with the university’s administration unfairly targeting union leaders.
Representatives from ASUU branches across several institutions, including the University of Lagos, Kwara State University, University of Ilorin, and Tai-Solarin University of Education, gathered in solidarity at the protest. The demonstrators carried placards with messages such as: “Dear Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Dr. Tony Dansu’s Contributions to Education are Invaluable, Reinstate Him and Others,” and “Recall the Sacked ASUU-LASU Five.”
The lecturers, who were dismissed between 2017 and 2019 by the former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, faced charges brought against them by the administration. Despite efforts to contest their dismissal legally, the university proceeded with trials and eventually removed them from their posts.
“In 2018, Drs. Tony Dansu, Adeolu Oyekan, and Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare sought legal protection, fearing unjust treatment like their colleagues Drs. Isaac Oyewumi and Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, who were dismissed in 2017,” Odukoya explained. He noted that although the court ruled the university had no authority to act against union officers, the dismissals went ahead.
The union leader pointed out that in February 2022, LASU’s Governing Council reviewed the matter and found the dismissals unjust, ordering the reinstatement of the lecturers. However, this decision has been stalled by directives from the state secretariat, with the outcome of a Visitation Panel report, submitted in September 2022, still pending.
“ASUU has made several appeals to Governor Sanwo-Olu, the Visitor to LASU, to release the White Paper from the Visitation Panel report and allow the reinstatement of our exonerated colleagues,” Odukoya stated. He questioned the governor’s reluctance, asking, “Whose interests is the governor protecting by blocking their return?”
ASUU’s frustration is compounded by the fact that Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, the former vice-chancellor under whose administration the dismissals took place, has quietly returned to LASU, while the fate of the union leaders remains uncertain. The union now demands action from Sanwo-Olu, urging him to align with his reputation as a labour-friendly governor and end the prolonged injustice.
