Fresh crisis looms between the Management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), LAUTECH Chapter, over a directive that staff and students of the institution should resume to continue academic activities.
The management of the institution had, through a memo, informed that, upon a directive of the Visitor to LAUTECH, Governor Seyi Makinde, the institution will continue its academic activities for the First Semester of the 2021/2022 Academic Session on Thursday May 26, 2022.
The memo, entitled “Release To Staff And Students: Continuation Of The First Semester Of The 2021/2022 Academic Session”, dated 19 May, 2022, was signed by Registrar of the institution, Dr Kayode Ogunleye.
ASUU, Ladoke Akintola University Chapter, however dissociated itself from the memo issued by the institution asking students to return to school on May 26.
Dr Ogunleye, in the memo, further informed that the amended academic calendar for the semester would soon be made available, adding: “Staff and students are hereby enjoined to abide with this directive.
“On behalf of the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor M. O. Liasu, I welcome all students back to the campus and wish them a crisis-free semester.”
LAUTECH ASUU, in a release by its chairman and secretary, Professor Biodun Olaniran and Toyin Abegunrin respectively, said the academic staff of the institution are fully on strike in line with the directives of the national body of the Union.
The union declared that the academic staff will not return to class until directed by the national body and urged “parents, guardians, students and general public to note that our members are not in position to conduct any academic activities.”
LAUTECH ASUU stated that its members are fully on strike and asked parents to discountenance the memo and keep their children and wards at home.
It maintained that the strike is not targeted at the Vice-Chancellor, students or the university community but focused on the struggle to reposition public-funded universities in Nigeria which will benefit the children of the masses, the university community and the country.
The union asked the parents to visit the LAUTECH campus and count how many TEFTFUND structures are on the campus which are products of the struggles of ASUU.
The duo stated in the release that the demands of ASUU are yet to be met by the Federal Government and neither has the LAUTECH administration paid the Earned Academic Allowances being owed staff.
“Our union is in receipt of the memo from the University Registrar calling for resumption of academic activities for the First Semester of the 2021/2022 Academic Session on Thursday May 26, 2022.
“The Academic Staff Union of Universities, LAUTECH branch wishes to dissociate itself from the said memo.
“This is against the principles of our union and we wish to inform the general public that our branch is actively participating and also in full support of the ongoing national struggle.
“As you are aware, LAUTECH Branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is involved in the on-going, 12 weeks roll-over strike action by our union called to draw the attention of Federal Government to implement Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed with ASUU in 2020.
“The MoA encapsulates all that needed to be done to make our public universities (federal or state) internationally competitive. The decision to embark on this action was communicated to the university administration.
“As clearly stated by our union, the ‘on-going strike action embarked upon by ASUU is not intended against any Vice-Chancellor, University Administration, students or any group within or outside the system’.
“It must be emphasised that the strike action has not being vacated and neither has the subsisting demands made by LAUTECH branch on the university administration addressed,” it was stated in the release.
