Dr Adekunle Idris, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU), Lagos State University, Ojo (LASU)
chapter, on Monday called on the State Government to
urgently address some burning issues in the institution.

Briefing journalists in Lagos, Idris urged the state
government, university council and management to
address the lingering issues to forestall looming crises.

He said that the ASUU congress in the university had
mandated the executive committee to explore avenues
of dialogue to resolve the contending issues.

The union leader, however, said that they may be forced
to declare an industrial action if the dialogue with the
government failed to achieve the desired result.

Shedding light on the issues at stake, Idris said that the
state government had not implemented the Universities
Miscellaneous Provision Act 2012 in LASU.

“This law was passed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria
for effective running of universities and we were part of
ASUU /FG 2009 agreement.

“One of the provisions of the agreement is that
academic staff on professional cadre shall retire at age
70 and non-academic staff at 65.

“It also says that principal officers shall serve for a
single term of five years,” he said.

*Student of the Lagos State Univesity protesting hike
in school fees

Idris said that the state government had, during a
deliberation with the institution’s four unions on Dec.
31, 2010, promised to implement the agreement but
failed to do so.

According to him, the government also made some
promises to the union at a meeting held on Nov. 29 but
has yet to keep them.

“The union had consistently called on all the
stakeholders of the institution to intervene and resolve
the pending issues in LASU during the five and a half
months ASUU strike,” he said.

Idris also urged the government to review the tuition
fees in the university, noting that it had become the
most expensive public university in Nigeria, making it
unattractive to applicants.

“The 1416 candidates who applied for the 2013/2014
Post-UTME used to be just two arms of the accounting
department when the fees were N25,000.

“There is an assurance that the number of candidates
short-listed for admission will drop when some of them
finally know the total amount they will be paying.


“It is exorbitant for a student in the faculty of education
to pay N197,000 while other departments pay N250,000
and the medical students pay N350,000.


“The founding fathers meant that education should be
made available and affordable to all citizens of Nigeria
especially indigenes of Lagos State but the current
school fees has defeated that objective,” he said.

Idris noted that the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria
Universities (SSANU), LASU chapter had been on strike
since Sept. 29, while the non-academic staff suspended
theirs on Dec. 3. (NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/lasu-ASUU-threatens-strike/