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Unilorin branch can’t leave ASUU now, says Varsity SUG

Students’ Union leaders of the University of Ilorin have described as preposterous and unrealistic the call on the incoming Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Wahab Egbewole, to lead the university chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) out of the national body of the union.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Thursday, President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the university, Taofeek Waliu Opeyemi, said that majority of the students’ desire is that the university should leave the lecturers’ union alone and allow the status quo to remain.

It would be recalled that the University of Ilorin was not part of national ASUU for about 20 years following a disagreement between the local chapter of the union and the national body, a situation that gave the university a stable academic calendar.

“Of course as a student, I’d love to have our stable academic calendar. That’s not negotiable, more so as a student and a students’ union leader, representing over 5,000 students. I’m of the view that we should opt out but the power of opting out doesn’t lie with the VC. He sits as an ordinary member of ASUU in their meeting. He doesn’t make decisions for ASUU. Students want the university to opt out of ASUU because they don’t have the background of the situation. Yes, as a student and as a student leader, I’ll propose that VC asks the local chapter of the union to pull out, which I know is not possible. It’s something I’d love to happen personally, but I don’t think it’s realistic.

“I don’t even think it’s possible to opt out of ASUU. ASUU is an association of lecturers. As long as you’re a Federal Government staff member, you’re part of ASUU. What led to ASUU Unilorin to have purportedly opted out of ASUU was because there was an issue. Not that the university’s local ASUU opted out. The university sacked about 40 lecturers some few years ago. The Unilorin chapter invited the national ASUU to come to their aid. The national ASUU didn’t give them required support. So, in anger they decided not to work with the national ASUU any longer. There was an ASUU structure on our campus and we still have. The outgoing VC, Professor Abdulkareem Age, only intervened or mediated in the long standing disagreement between the local and national ASUU then when he assumed office some five years ago and it was sorted out. It’s not like saying whether Unilorin was part of ASUU or not. Unless there is going to be another disagreement that could make the local Unilorin ASUU pull out, we’re part of ASUU.”

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