The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has appealed to the Kogi Government to reinstate 120 academic staff of Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba sacked in 2017.
Comrade Onyibo Eze, Chairman, ASUU, University of Nigeria (UNN) Chapter appealed on Tuesday in Nsukka. Eze said, in a statement, that the termination of their appointment for participating in a strike for demanding better welfare and arrears of salaries amounted to trampling on their rights and privileges.
According to him, the UNN chapter of ASUU is appealing because KSU is part of the Nsukka Zone of ASUU, whatever affects KSU-ASUU affect all of us in the Nsukka ASUU Zone. He recalled that the lecturers had also demanded academic allowances owed its members, proper funding of the institution, university autonomy and guaranteeing of academic freedom, among others.
“The strike took place after several attempts were turned down by ex-Gov. Yaya Bello for the union to negotiate with the government.
“Rather, the governor during the strike proscribed ASUU-KSU and terminated the appointments of the 120 academic staff of the university, which became a subject of litigation.
“At the Industrial Court of Nigeria, both Kogi State Government and the KSU Management brought no allegations against the 120 sacked staff as the only argument of being on strike cannot fly,”.
Onyibo expressed sadness that, as a result of the unlawful retrenchment, four senior members of the affected staff had died due to the hardship and psychological trauma they passed through during the period of the sack.
“It is unfortunate that the four ASUU members died in the struggle to demand for their rights as well as the welfare of other members.
“It is worthy to note that the same government of Gov. Bello that sacked the 120 academic staff for embarking on strike set up a Visitation Panel that recommended the immediate reinstatement of the stacked staff.
“But the ex-governor failed to implement this recommendation of the panel till he left office,” he stated.
The UNN-ASUU Chairman appealed to the incumbent Governor Ahmed Ododo, to kindly use his good office to reinstate the sacked academic staff as recommended by the government Visitation Panel.
“This will not only heal the wounds of seven years of the affected lecturers but will also redress the injustice meted out to these innocent lecturers as well as put smiles in their families, ” he added.