DON'T COME BACK AFTER LEAVE, LASU UNIONS TELL PROF HUSSAIN
There is no doubt that peace is gradually returning to the Lagos State University (LASU) after the state government partly met the demands of the staff unions and thus ending over four months of industrial action. The peace being enjoyed now on campus has led to the implementation in February 2011, of the agreement reached with the Fashola administration and the staff unions on December 31, 2010. But one major demand which the workers and even the students are waiting for is the sack of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Lateef Hussain, following the vote of no confidence passed by the unions and by the State Assembly which asked the governor to sack him.
It was in order to douse the tension arising from months of agitations by the staff unions and the students' body for his removal despite the visitation panel set up by the state government to probe the university that the embattled VC was asked to proceed on leave in December 2010.
The news about Prof Hussain going on compulsory leave elicited reactions from the staff unions and the students union, who wished that the embattled VC would not return. His going on leave cleared the way for the congregation to elect two staffers into the Governing Council that had not met for months.
Daily Sun learnt that since October 2010 after the four staff unions, ASUU, SSANU, NAAT, NASU and the students union passed a vote of no confidence and even prevented him from presiding over the meeting of the congregation, Prof Hussain, has not visited the campus. Attempts he made to resume duty after the expiration of his leave on Tuesday, March 22 generated another tension on the campus as the staff unions who got hint of it mobilized their members and waited for him but because of the security report, Professor Hussain stayed away thus averting a major showdown with the workers.
Disturbed by what they see as his move to truncate the existing peace on the campus, some of the leaders of the staff unions got across to the state government and warned that if Professor Hussain resumes work, the fragile peace being enjoyed on the campus would be broken irretrievably and that hostility would resume thus taking the university back to the dark days.
The Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Ms Funmi Sessi confirmed to Daily Sun that attempts were made to bring Professor Hussain back after the completion of his annual leave 'but we told the state government that we will resist his resumption. The vote of no confidence the staff unions passed on him last year still stands because the white paper on the visitation panel has not been released.
'It is evident that we now have relatively peace in LASU. What government should do is to put machinery in motion to appoint a new VC? New projects have been awarded, this is what Professor Hussain failed to do. Government has seen reasons why LASU should develop. If LASU is planned, it will generate funds for the state. All hands must be on deck to restore the lost glory of LASU.'
Reacting to the move to smuggle the embattled VC back to his office, the Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of LASU, Mr.Yakubu Jubril recalled that his members went on strike, between July 15 and December 10, to demand for the sack of the VC and for the restructuring of the university and only suspended the industrial action to allow the government investigate the allegations against him.
Jubril added: 'Since October 2010, the VC has not entered the university and NASU will not allow him into the campus. His days are gone and gone for good. After that, Professor Hussain was sneaking into LASU but could not attend any LASU function.'
After the first leave approved by the Governing Council Chairman, Mr. Akin Kekere- Ekun expired in December, he noted, 'his cohorts tried to bring him back on March 22, 2011. We called on the Head of Service that if the government wants peace, the VC should not be allowed into the campus. The leave he is enjoying is a terminal one while the vote of no confidence still subsists.
'I tell you 100 per cent peace has returned to LASU in his absence. The state government should do everything to let it remain so. This is the type of atmosphere we have been craving for which Hussain did not encourage. We received the news of his attempt to resume with mixed feelings. The foot soldiers (union members) were prepared for him but he did not turn up.'
On the part of the students, the General Secretary of the Students Union, Ewebiyi James and the Public Relations Officer of the body, Akanbi Adeleke insisted that the vote of no confidence passed on Professor Hussain has not been lifted. The two also noted that his going on leave has brought peace back to LASU and expressed their wish to have it remain so.
He said: 'We have experienced peace since December when he went on leave and also witnessed some developments such as construction of new faculties. We are hoping that at the end of the day, he will be handed over a sack letter. We are aware of his attempt to resume. We urge him to make it public that he wants to resume and the students union will go public to denounce his VC-ship.'
The former Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), LASU Chapter, Dr. Kabir Akinyemi, told Daily Sun that the university is enjoying peace on the campus and advised the state government to maintain the status quo as going contrary would endanger the existing peace in the university.
Dr. Akinyemi said on March 22, tension rose on the campus following the attempt by Professor Hussain to resume from his annual leave. It prompted some staff to mount surveillance but at the end of the day, he did not show up.
He explained that based on the protest of the staff unions, the state government extended his leave by 60 days and hoped that it would be his last in LASU warning that the current peaceful atmosphere should not be truncated by brining him back as such action would be strongly resisted.
The former ASUU chairman maintained that the vote of no confidence passed in 2010 and the resolution of the State House Assembly asking Governor Fashola to sack him has not been vacated stressing that since his absence, LASU has moved a step forward with the staff and those currently in charge of running its affairs working to restore its lost glory while the state government has shown commitment in addressing some inadequacies observed during and after the crisis that rocked the university.
While some staff are opposed to his return, others loyal to him insist Professor Hussain be allowed to resume from his leave to continue his 'good work.' They too are also making contacts with top government officials and traditional rulers to ensure that the embattled VC returns and completes his second tenure no matter the opposition.
A visit to LASU would certainly confirm that peace has returned to the institution after months of agitations by the staff union for the sack of the VC and implementation of the signed agreement by the state government. Right now, the university is preparing hard in anticipation of the visit of the accreditation team of the National Universities Commission (NUC).