By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Protesters |
The Badagry Youths have protested against the unjust dismissal of LASU lecturer Dr. Tony Dansu and four others on frivolous charges during the administration of former V.C. Lanre Fagbohun.
During the protest the youths said they would not rest until Lagos State government addresses the matter and Tony Dansu is reinstated.
The press release states: We, the concerned sons and daughters of the Ikoga-Zebbe Kingdom in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State, are compelled to make this clarion call for justice and fairness at this critical time.
After waiting hopefully for between five to seven years for the system (at the university and state levels) to right the wrongs it permitted few individuals to deliberately commit in a desperate effort at self-preservation, we are forced to come out to kickstart a series of campaigns, which ordinarily are unnecessary if the authorities have listened to many calls from several quarters to do the needful.
Dr. Tony Dansu, an illustrious son of this kingdom, and a lecturer in our prestigious Lagos State University, who served (and is still serving) as a leader of the Academic Staff Union Universities (ASUU), alongside two other officers of the Union, was wrongfully dismissed from the university in 2019 without any benefit. This came on the heels of the prior dismissal of two officers of the same union earlier in 2017.
Facts available, and that are clear to us, revealed that between September 2017 and September 2019, five Exco members of ASUU-LASU were dismissed by the previous Governing Council of LASU on the basis of frivolous charges brought against them by the administration of Professor Lanre Fagbohun. These officers of the union are: i. Dr Isaac Akinloye Oyewumi (Chairman) ii. Dr Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu (Vice Chairman) iii. Dr Anthony Dansu (Secretary) iv. Dr Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan (Assistant Secretary) v. Dr Oluwakemi Adebisi Aboderin-Shonibare (Treasurer Prior to the dismissals of the last three of the five, in 2018, the trio of Drs. Dansu, Oyekan and Aboderin-Shonibare approached the court to challenge the trials by the university.
This was based on the premise that they were about to be illegally dismissed in the same manner Drs. Oyewumi and Adeyemi-Suenu were dismissed in 2017. The rulings of the court delivered by Hon. Justice O.A. Obaseki-Osaghae of NICN Lagos on the 11th of July, 2019, in suit No: NICN/LA/493/2018, stated that under the Freedom of Information Act and other relevant laws cited, the university authorities have no such powers to proceed against officers of the union in these cases; that both parties are creations of law, and must therefore respect the law.
However, given that the issue was not due for judicial review since no damage had been done yet; even as the court was mindful of the breach of constitutional rights of the officers by the university authority, the two parties should go and follow the path of the law for the sake of peace, order, and good administration in the university and its community.
However, the university still proceeded with the trials and saw them conclusively to their dismissals. We are aware that in 2021, the new University Administration under the Vice Chancellorship of Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello asked for an out-of-court settlement of the cases. This was followed by the reversal of the five dismissals, and reinstatement of the five officers by the new University Governing Council under the chairmanship of Sir David Sunmoni on the 23rd of February, 2023. The reversal and the reinstatement came as a result of two committees’ reports that vindicated the union leaders.
But less than 24 hours after the Council resolution, Lagos State Government forced the university Governing Council to put the implementation of its decision on the union leaders on hold. This was on the premise that Council should wait for the release of the government's white paper on the 2021 LASU visitation panel. Since February 2022, running to three years, nothing has been heard from the government on this matter.
Meanwhile, reliable information in the public domain has it that Prof Lanre Fagbohun, the immediate past vice chancellor of the university, who is an Awori man, and unfortunately the principal generator of the crisis, and whose major issues are (expectedly) to dominate the visitation panel’s white paper, has been employed back to the university without recourse to the release of the white paper. Similarly, some other past and present principal officers and senior academic and non-academic staffers of the university, whose issues were treated by the visitation panel have been reabsorbed and reappointed back to the Lagos State University (LASU) without recourse to the visitation panel report or government’s white paper.
The question to ask is why are the cases of Dr. Tony Dansu and other four ASUU officers receiving this unjust treatment from the Lagos State government under Governor Babajide Sanwolu and the university authorities? Dr. Tony Dansu, a Proud Ogu son from Ikoga-Zebbe Kingdom, Badagry Lagos State is the most complete alumnus of Lagos State University with all his post-secondary academic certificates from LASU- from diploma up to doctoral degrees. We are aware that he has served the university in many capacities, including the selfless and thankless service of the union that led to his dismissal with other officers.
In his own little way, he is a philanthropist who has a strong passion for the growth and development of the downtrodden. This we have seen in his support for several people and causes that God has used him to help in attaining their goals. We can be proud to point to several people in higher places whose lives he has touched in one way or the other.
In the communities, his services are numerous; testimonies can be randomly sought by anyone or group who is interested for further information. His malicious disengagement with the four others from the university is a disservice to our community, Badagry and Lagos State; and to humanity at large. We therefore call on Mr Babajide Sanwolu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, and the Visitor to Lagos State University to cause the reinstatement of Dr Tony Dansu and other four officers of ASUU-LASU, by lifting the embargo he placed on the implementation of the decision of LASU Governing Council on the five union officers on the 23rd of February, 2022, to the effect that: 1. the five wrongly dismissed ASUU-LASU officers should be reinstated unconditionally; 2. all accrued financial entitlements and benefits be paid to them; and 3. promotions merited should be given without loss of seniority and entitlements.
We are hopeful that this first stage of our planned lawful actions will achieve our desired results, and make other follow-up actions unnecessary.
IGBEGA EKO TI DI AJUMOSE
SIGNED BY: CONCERNED SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF IKOGA-ZEBBE