ASUU Decries Victimisation Of Members In Some Universities

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Jos Chapter, has decried the victimisation of its members in some public universities in the country.

Prof. Jurbe Molwus, the Chairperson of the union in the university said this during a news conference on Tuesday in Jos.

Molwus said that the affected members are employees of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo, Kogi State University (KSU), Anyingba, Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma, Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam.

The Chairperson explained that some of the victimised lecturers had their appointments either illegally terminated or suspended, adding that others were denied promotion or had their salaries withheld.

”At LASU, there has been a running battle against our union which manifested in the victimisation of some leaders of our union in the institution.

”Due to the unpatriotic actions of the state government, KSU Anyigba is today a shadow of itself; it has fallen short of the dreams of its founding fathers with no allegation of infringements levelled against our members yet they are being punished.

”At FUTO, the Vice Chancellor and her collaborators have continued to unjustly punish our faithful members because of their patriotic stance against the illegal appointment of Dr. Isa Pantami to the rank of a Professor.

”Our secretariat at COOU is under lock and key and our members are prevented from holding meetings; their salaries have been withheld for over a year and some of them suspended mainly because they are against the violation of academic standards in the university.

”In all of these, our members have suffered and still suffering untold hardship. So, we want a stop on the victimisation of our members in public universities, ”he said.

Molwus explained that the continuous victimisation of ASUU members was responsible for the current brain drain in Nigerian universities.

The chairperson called on the judiciary to speedily dispense justice on matters concerning ASUU of the union.

(NAN)