JAC Strike: OAU NASU Chairman Docked Over Assault Allegations

By Sodiq Lawal

The Chairman of Non-Academic staffs of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Comrade Woke Odewunmi was on Thursday arraigned in an Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Ile Ife over alleged assault of Olarinde Olaide after being remanded on the 6th of March at Kosere Prisons in the town.

Olarinde Olaide was allegedly mobbed and assaulted by the union workers ‘led by Wole Odewumi for disrupting the examinations of the Post-graduate Students in the university during one the protests of the Non Teaching staff unions against the Earned allowance owed by the Federal Government.

After listening to both parties through their counsels, Justice F.I Omisade, the presiding Judge, granted the accused (OAU NASU Chairman) bail on self-recognizance.

The presiding Judge further stated that the condition of the bail includes providing two sureties, who are civil servants and have attained at least Level Ten according to the civil service commission ranking.

However, the judge during the proceedings, expressed his disappointment at the two parties and noted that a civil matter of that nature should have been settled in the university community and not dragged to court.

“It should not have degenerated up to this level”, the Judge added.

Speaking with our correspondent, the defense counsel of the accused, Barrister S.T.A Raji, expressed his happiness, he said ” this is just one of those normal court cases. We have been successful with the bail application.”

Also, a female senior lecturer in the university, Kehinde Ajila, told our correspondent that the court case is being fueled by some of the university officers and it is aimed at frustrating the struggle of the aggrieved unions.

“Those professors, who we fought for the increment in their salaries are now those who want to frustrate the struggle for the payment of workers’ allowance.”- she added.

However, all efforts to speak with the complainer, Olarinde Olaide, proved abortive as the lawyer denied our correspondent access to his client.

It will be recalled that the non teaching staff unions of Universities, comprising the Non Teaching Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) have embarked on an indefinite strike action since last year against the Federal Government over an alleged disparity in the disbursement of Earned allowance to all the staff unions in Nigerian Universities with 89& allocated to ASUU and 11% allocated to the three above Unions.

The case has however been adjourned to 15th of March, 2018.