ASUU, NASU, SSANU shut down
UNN indefinitely, demand VC’s
sack
By Emmanuel Uzodinma on December 18,
2013
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Barely 24 hours after the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU, called off its 5-
month old strike, the University of Nigeria
Nsukka, UNN, has been shut down indefinitely
by the workers.
At a heavy protest in the University on
Wednesday, all the workers union demanded
the immediate sack of the Vice Chancellor,
Prof. Bartho Okolo.
Okolo is being accused of corrupt practices
and neglect of due process in running the
affairs of the university.
Apart from accusing Okolo of being a corrupt
leader, the workers demanded the
reinstatement of the Chairman of the
Governing Council, Prof Emeka Enejere, who
was on Tuesday suspended on the orders of
the supervising minister of education, Nyesom
Wike.
The workers made up of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU, the Non-
Academic Staff Union of Universities, NASU,
and the National Association of Academic
Technologists, NAT, chanted songs saying it
was the Vice Chancellor, Prof Bartho Okolo,
instead, who should be sacked.
After marching for over six hours, they
dispersed, promising to return for daily
demonstrations until the Council Chairman was
reinstated and other ills of the university
which they alleged originated from Prof Okolo
were corrected.
The members of the three trade union groups,
numbering over 1000, who carried placards
with various inscriptions such as “Pro-
chancellor must come back”, “Enejere must
come back”, “Batho must go” were led by the
three leaders of the unions, Comrade Dr.
Ifeanyi Abada, Comrade Godfrey Ugwu and
Comrade Onwu Anthony.
While briefing journalists at the end of the
rally, the workers decried the leadership style
of the university under Prof Okolo and called
for his immediate removal
“We have to reiterate that the
University of Nigeria under
the leadership of Prof Batho
Okolo is in ruins. The history
of the University today is the
history of maladministration,
financial impropriety and
recklessness, contract
splitting and money
laundering”, the workers
stated at the Freedom Square
of the University.
The unions noted with dismay
the suspension of Dr Enejere
by the minister, even when
he had been discharging his
functions as council chairman
effectively.
They accused Wike of
shielding and encouraging the
corrupt Vice Chancellor, even
against the basic principles of
President Goodluck Jonathan’s
transformation agenda.
“We challenge the supervising
minister of education and his
partner /adviser in chief and
collaborator Prof Okojie to
explain the following: Why he
hastily suspended a council
chairman without any form of
query?
“The justification for suspending Dr Enejere
without reason?
“Why he is encouraging corruption in the
Universities?
“Why he is shielding and encouraging corrupt
vice chancellors and tainted officers in his
ministry?
“Why he refused to react to the compendium
of corrupt activities of the Vice Chancellor,
UNN, which were articulated by the unions?”
They, therefore, demanded the immediate
reinstatement of the pro-chancellor, vowing
that anything on the contrary, activities on the
campus will remain paralyzed.
“In view of the foregoing, the unions demand
the immediate and unconditional reinstatement
of Dr. Emeka Enejere as the chairman UNN
Governing Council.
“We have had enough of this impunity; we
request Mr. President to intervene and call the
minister to order”, they said.
DailyPost gathered that until the Pro-
Chancellor’s suspension, he had been in
running battle with the Vice-Chancellor.
A source told our correspondent that unlike
the former Pro-Chancellor, Enejere had
continued to insist that due process must be
followed in all the dealings in the UNN.