Management Would Not Tolerate Any Form Of Radicalism From Any Of The Union Leaders- LASU VC

Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, Vice-Chancellor (VC), Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, while speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said on Wednesday that the institution’s management would not tolerate any form of radicalism from any of its union leaders.

He was reacting to the recent queries issued to Dr Tony Dansu, the ASUU/LASU Secretary, and his Assistant, Dr Adeolu Oyekan. NAN reports that the two union leaders were accused of stealing an official document from the university’s confidential file and circulating it.

The VC explained that the queries were not to victimise the unionists as claimed but to ensure orderliness in the institution.

He emphasised that “it was against the law to steal from the confidential file’’.

Fagbohun said proper conduct does not require one to steal official documents, even when you are not satisfied with happenings in your establishment or intend to vindicate your position.

“ASUU circulated the scandal they did and we saw attached to it a confidential document from the records of the Dean of the Faculty of Law.

“Eventually, I wrote to the Dean to explain how the document got to the hands of those who are not authorised to have it and he responded that the document was stolen from his file.

“The entire Faculty also dissociated themselves from it and citing the provisions of the law, said that the action of the union was criminal not only under the university law but under the criminal code,’’ he said.

Fagbohun said it was in that context and as a VC in a position to enforce rules and regulations, I issued a query for them to explain how they came about the document and the authorisation they had for its circulation.

He said that no responsible corporate body under any guise would allow or condone stealing of official documents.

Fagbohun vowed not to stop the disciplinary processes amidst scandalous publications to intimidate him.

The VC, however, said that LASU was in a peaceful state and no crisis was looming as intended by some `unscrupulous elements’.

“Our university is not jinxed with crisis, but in every system, you will always see the good, the bad and the ugly and so we have some people that no matter what happens, you cannot get them satisfied.

“The fact that you still have some people rumbling is not unconnected that you cannot have a system where it will be 100 per cent.

“There will still be one or two persons whose selfish reasons will not want them go in the same direction with others,’’ he said.

However, an NGO, Education Rights Campaign (ERC), had on July 25 demanded an immediate withdrawal of the queries issued to the ASUU leaders.

It also demanded a halt to any sinister plot to their victimisation.

The body said the queries were to victimise the union leaders over a letter they wrote to the Governing Council demanding investigation into activities of the former Registrar of the University, Mr Akinwunmi Lewis.

ERC said the letter included the circumstances surrounding the illegal backdating of the promotion of then Dr Fagbohun to the position of Professor of Public Law.