A mild drama is about to play out come Wednesday July 15th 2020 as ASUU Unilag branch vows to disrupt the University Council meeting slated for that day.

It will be recalled that there has been an ongoing mild rancor between the university's Council led by Dr. B.O. Babalakin and the Vice chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe over series of Council's decisions that are not favorable to the academic staff and the school's Management, ultimately leading to the cancellation of 2019 convocation ceremonies earlier slated for March 2020. This action did not go down well with the University's ASUU branch members who later declared the Council Chairman a persona non grata and barred him within the University community.

Academic staff of the university always want to be in charge and lord over everything in the school, sidelining the non academic staff, a position the council chairman frowns at and always insisted that due process must be followed and the university laws be obeyed. This hasn't gone well with the academic staffs as the decision has stifled their powers and prevented their corrupt tendencies.

Recently, the university seems to have been divided in a schism of one side for Babalakin and the other for the Vice Chancellor, who hasn't helped the situation by keeping quiet and not calling the ASUU chairman, Dr Ashiru, to order.

The branch ASUU has called a congress for Wednesday at the foyer of the council chambers in the university, same venue the Council meeting is to hold on same day. The big question on everyone's lips within the University community is, who authorised the use of the foyer for ASUU congress knowing fully well that Council meeting has been slated for same day and venue?

This has prompted the University's registrar, Oladejo Azeez, who doubles as Secretary to Council, and also a lawyer like Babalakin, to release a statement on behalf of council, calling the ASUU's decision lawless. We wait and see what unfold on Wednesday.


Cc lalasticlala Ishilove Seun

There has been so much corruption been perpetrated by the ASUU members who head different directorates in the University and the Council chairman has discovered this. More reason ASUU is fighting him

Maeanwgile, one of the respected Professors on campus, Professor Lai Olurode has called for caution on the part of the ASUU. In a statement released on Monday morning, the professor of sociology advised the union to thread with caution on the their threat to disrupt the council meeting as their action could be tantamount to digging one's grave.

PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED BY LAI OLURODE

THREATS AS DANGER TO ACADEMIC FREEDOM

I have read with disgust in several newspapers, the threat by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (Unilag Branch) which was directed at Dr. Babawale Babalakin who is the Chairman of the University of Lagos Governing Council. This threat is ultra vires, provocative, illogical, anti academic and an assault on freedom of movements and thoughts. Wale Babalakin is a free citizen of Nigeria whose freedom of movement can only be restricted or frozen with due process.
It is possible that in the cause of performing his job as Chairman of Council, he had stepped on toes or that the Council which he heads had taken unpalatable decisions which ASUU or University's Management are uncomfortable with, this cannot suffice to justify the issuance of threat by anybody. It is simply childish, an abberation and reckless.
Universities are expected to triumph on logic and freedom of discussion. Of course, a typical university setting with its diversity must generate conflicts but, it simultaneously has in built mechanisms for their resolution other than through brawls, spear and arrow. A Governing Council is an indispensable organ of a university system in Nigeria. It is mechanism for maintaining checks and balances and abuse of power within the system. Academics and administrative organs have different roles to play. No organ should pose a threat to the proper functioning of the other. The set up is meant to promote democratic governance of the university complex system and ensure equitable distribution of scarce resources available within the system. Conflicts are normal in simple and more so in complex settings.
Even, where differences appear to be intractable, there are other constitutional platforms that can be explored in place of threats. Indeed, threats signal attacks on logic and a celebration of gangsterism neither of which are defensible as they are alien to the system. It was never part of the university sub culture. Universities cannot continue to operate as an island or as an untouchable entity or continue to nurse the Kabiyesi mentality.
I urge ASUU to create an environment for dialogue to prevail in Unilag no matter how strong it feels about a matter. On matters between administration and Council, ASUU should desist from assuming naively that it has monopoly of opinion or that it is speaking the mind of all. Moral and ethical issues are complex and not cheaply resolved by the mentality of the crowd. Let's all construct a formidable democratic consensus without threats in resolving our differences. In any case. ASUU has feeble powers to prevent Babalakin's virtual access into Unilag. Under the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended, there is separation of powers in our laws. Let each organ perform its role without let or hindrance. Any organ within the system or subsystem is free to approach our Courts for resolution of grievances instead of seeking remedy through self-help. I wonder what we socialize our students into these day - the path of civility or deviance. It is unprofessional for ASUU or any organisation to launch an open attack on the instrument of his trade. It is akin to digging one's grave.
All lovers of freedom must rise up to challenge attacks on freedom and thus indirectly on development.

Press Statement by Lai Olurode, Professor of Sociology in Unilag.