Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Sacked All Academic Staff + Updates On Other Universities

For failure to return to classrooms, the Senate of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) has sacked all academic staff on its payroll with immediate effect.

The sack order was made known by the Public Relations Officers (PRO) of the institution, Mr Chike Ezenwa, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune in Owerri, through telephone.

According to him, the senate of the university had declared all the positions of academic staff in the institution, adding that they would be advertised starting from Monday, December 2.

The senate council, he explained, had already compiled the list of vacant positions in the school, adding that who were willing to resume would be adequately protected.

Meanwhile, the FUTO branch of ASUU has said any attempt to break their ranks would be strongly resisted by their members.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end o their meeting held on Monday, and signed by both the chairman and secretary, Dr Ikenna Nwachukwu and Dr F.M. Eke respectively.

The communiqué urged members to ignore the resumption notice by FUTO management, adding that the branch would not engage in any academic activities until the Federal Government commited itself to implementing the ASUU-FGN agreement.

UNILAG lecture rooms remain shut

Lecture rooms at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) remained shut on Monday, despite the expiration of the one-week ultimatum given by some members of the ASUU branch of the institution.
Authorities of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) have directed all academic staff of the university to commence work with immediate effect, while the branch chairman of ASUU said the union will not succumb to threat and intimidation.
Students of Obafemi  Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, on Monday, failed to resume for academic activities, despite the directive of the government.
Gombe varsity lecturers fail to resume
Lecturers at the Gombe State University are yet to resume classes, despite the directive to do so by the government.
Gombe varsity lecturers fail to resume
Lecturers at the Gombe State University are yet to resume classes, despite the directive to do so by the government.
Students of University of Ibadan (UI), on Monday, obeyed the directive of ASUU and stayed off campus, against the order of the Federal Goverment.

Lecturers at the institution, were, last week Monday, served with an ultimatum to resume work by a faction of the union.

Asked their likely next line of action if the lecturers failed to resume work, Dr Micheal Ogbeide, one of the leaders of the faction, refused to divulge their intention.

However, in a telephone conversation with the Nigerian Tribune, on Monday, Ogbeide said since the Federal Government had made a new decision as to when the striking lecturers were to resume, they had no choice but to await government’s next directive.

“Government owns the school, not us, so we have to work with the decision of government.

“The decision of the owner (Federal Government) supersedes that of any pressure groups in the school. By now, schools are working their calendars and adjusting them in preparation for resumption, so one cannot just jump into the class and begin to teach,” he said.

UNIJOS mgt, ASUU set for showdown

The authorities of the university, in a circular signed by the registrar/secretary to the council, Mr Jilli Dandam, made available to Nigerian Tribune in Jos, Plateau State, pointed out that all academic staff of the university shall return to their various departments, units and directorates and commence work immediately.

It added that daily compliance register would be kept by all heads of department for all academic staff, while it further directed  every head of department to publish lecture time-table for all academic programmes by today.

However, branch chairman of ASUU, Dr Jangkam Wannang, said the union would not succumb to threat to call off its strike, adding that conditions to call off the strike were well spell out.

He said intimidation and harassment of any form would not force the union to call off the strike.

“We will not succumb to threat, the strike is for the improvement of the system. The threat and intimidation by both the government and governing council of a universities will rather complicate the problem rather than addressing it,” he said.

OAU students desert campus

A correspondent of NAN, who visited the institution, reported that none of the students were seen on campus for possible commencement of academic activities as directed by the government.

Mr Abiodun Olarenwaju, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, confirmed to NAN that not a single student was on campus “for any reason whatsoever.”

He said the few lecturers on campus were around “for reasons other than academic,” adding that “you know our lecturers have not totally deserted the campus like that, many of them still come around to do one or two things in their offices, but no teaching and learning activities.”

A NAN correspondent who visited the university campus on Monday reported that while the non-academic staff reported for work, offices of the lecturers were still closed.

NAN observed that the students also did not turn up for lectures as of the time of the visit.

When contacted on telephone, branch chairman of ASUU, Mallam Umar Adamu, confirmed that none of the lecturers of the university had resumed work.

Adamu said the union would meet tomorrow, to decide on what to do.

The premises of the university was, however, calm as security operatives were seen keeping vigilance at the main gate.

The academic staff of Federal University in Kashere, also in Gombe State, did not, however, join the strike.

UI students stay off campus

The UI branch of ASUU also lashed out at the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Doyin Okupe, for calling the union “enemy of the state.”

Members of the union at the institution, at a congress, resolved not to sign any register and were united in rejecting the directive of the government.

In an interview, the branch chairman, Dr Olusegun Ajiboye, said the union remained on course at ensuring that government made funds available to public universities.

Ajiboye said the union respected the office of the president, but carpeted Dr Okupe and other advisers werefor their attempts to ridicule the office of the president through their unguarded utterances.

Ajiboye, who lashed out at Okupe for describing ASUU as enemy of state, asked him to separate the roles of corrupt government officials, oil thieves, vandals and cabals in government from the patriotic struggle of ASUU.

“Historically, leaders have failed because of the bad counsel of their advisers. Mr President needs to be careful not to be derailed by people like Okupe, who do not see corrupt politicians and cabals as well as looters as enemies of state.

“Okupe does not see anything wrong in bad roads, comatose health sector, pension fraud, subsidy saga, aviation fraud, oil theft, as well as enough problems for the masses by the leadership,” he said.

The union appealed to the president to read the letter sent to him in order to know that the union was not out to disrespect him, but to give him more credibility.

Source: Tribune