Date: 2015-11-06

The protem Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Kwara State University, Malete branch, Dr. Dauda Adeshola, on Thursday described his suspension and that of five other members of the branch of ASUU as shocking, uncalled for and unlawful. He said it was a travesty of justice.

KWASU management, headed by its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na'Allah, had suspended the Head, Department of Mass Communication, Prof. Innocent Okoye; a lecturer in the Department of Bioscience and Bio-technology, Mr. Dairo Paul; Prof. Christopher Odetunde, of the Department of Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering; and Dr. Ayotunde Alao, of the Department of Mass Communication.

ASUU in a statement signed by Alao, who is also the Public Relations Officer of ASUU, KWASU branch, said it was surprising that out of about 70 employees that attended the meeting, only six of them were hand-picked for suspension.

According to him, the suspended members of staff are top ASUU activists in the institution. He claimed that they had since complied with the suspension to avoid creating an ugly scene in the institution, even though he said they were on holiday.

He denied that they harassed the unnamed Chief Security Officer during their meeting, adding that the action of the management of the institution was contemptuous of ASUU national leadership.

Adeshola said, "ASUU has consistently sought the VC's audience since the granting of approval to the union, but they have done everything to generate a crisis, which we avoided! The congress had over 70 employees in attendance, but only six were suspended for allegedly harassing the CSO who went into a meeting of academic staff to harass the ASUU KWASU chapter chairman.

<"p>But knowing full well their plan which was to disrupt a peaceful gathering of intellectuals, everyone was calm and we told the CSO our notification, which was sent to the University Relations Unit, Safety Unit (Security) and the VC's office. After the meeting, none of the members of staff in attendance was invited for a meeting, but only for us to get a suspension notice!"