Residents of Ikoga-Zebbe in Badagry Local Council of Lagos State have protested against what they described as the wrongful 2019 dismissal of Anthony Dansu and four other officers of the Lagos State University (LASU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The protesters said they were unhappy about the dismissal and called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene and reinstate Mr Dansu, an indigene of the town, and other officers.
The residents carried placards with inscriptions, such as: Dear Governor Sanwo-Olu, please correct this injustice; #RestoreDrDansu; Reinstate Dr Tony Dansu and others; Let justice prevail; Dr Tony Dansu’s integrity and service deserve commendation, not dismissal; Dear Governor Sanwo-Olu, reinstate academic freedom; and Dear people’s governor, show Lagos is committed to fairness.
The affected lecturers are: the chairman of the union, Isaac Oyewumi; vice chairman, Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu; secretary, Mr Dansu; assistant secretary, Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan; and treasurer, Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare.
They were dismissed during the 122nd meeting of the university’s governing council, held on September 12, 2019. They were accused of unauthorised removal, retention and dissemination or publication of official confidential documents, and subsequently sacked.
It was gathered that in February 2022, the David Sunmoni-led governing council reinstated the lecturers after an appeal committee headed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Adenike Boyo, cleared them of all offences and recommended their reinstatement.
But in a strange twist, 48 hours later, the council ruled again to put recall of the lecturers on hold. In a statement signed by Mayowa Adejobi, James Avoseh, Ademola Bokoh, Tinka Gabriel, Francis Avoseh, and Medemaku Noah, the protesting indigenous people of the town said the school’s management fired him and others for exposing illegal acts.
Before they were dismissed, Messrs Dansu, Oyekan, and Aboderin-Shonibare had approached a court to challenge the university’s position.
“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 statement added.
Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae of the National Industrial Court (NICN), Lagos, in the suit No: NICN/LA/493/2018 on July 11, 2019, ruled 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.
“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,” it added.
The LASU management, however, proceeded with the trials, which led to their dismissals.
The residents called on Sanwo-Olu to reinstate the officers by lifting the embargo he placed on implementing the corresponding decision of the governing council.
They further requested that all accrued financial entitlements and benefits be paid to the affected lecturers, and promotions merited should be given without loss of seniority and entitlements.
One of the protesters, Mide Abayomi, an indigene of the community and alumnus of LASU, urged Sanwo-Olu to call the lecturers back to work so that the university community can grow.
Several phone calls were put across to Mrs Oluwayemisi Thomas-Onashile, who is the Coordinator, Centre for Information and Public Relations (CIPR), Lagos State University. She had neither picked the calls nor responded to enquiries as at press time.
