The past still haunts the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), which is perceived as the most preferred university in Nigeria. The sacking of 49 teachers by then Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem in 2001 for participating in a strike called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) still reverbrates in the institution – 15 years after. The union was then led by Dr Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju.

Though a lengthy court battle led to the teachers’ reinstatement eight years later, the institution’s branch of ASUU has not quite been the same because of its isolation from the national body. The UNILORIN boasts of not shutting down except for holidays. There have been allegations that UNILORIN-ASUU has been operating as a stooge of management.

Since the reinstatement of the UNILORIN 49 in 2009, management has been romancing with successive executives of a faction led by its lackeys.

But, the emergence of a new faction polarising the union along pro-establishment and national ASUU lines may be threatening the institution's uninterrupted academic calendar of 15 years.

An election held about two months ago produced Dr Usman Raheem as ASUU Chairman. But last April 20, a drama played out. The national ASUU leadership attempted storming the institution in a convoy of over 18 buses but was prevented from entering the campus by a combined team of the school’s security personnel and the police.

Dr Deji Agboola from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife ASUU chapter described the university's action as belated, claiming that members of the union had sneaked into the campus much earlier, "and conducted the inauguration of our own ASUU, before the university could wake up from its slumber. We did it at Block 10. We merely asked our drivers to come in a convoy." He said those that sneaked in inaugurated Dr Kayode Afolayan as ASUU's authentic representative at UNILORIN.

Others inaugurated were Dr Bode Olumorin (Vice Chairman), Abdulganiyu Olatunji (Treasurer) and Dr Solomon Oyelekan (Secretary). Dr Raheem leads the ASUU chapter endorsed by the university.

Raheem faulted ASUU's national leadership over how it went about the issue. He said before the UNILORIN-ASUU can be re-integrated into the national body, ASUU must discuss with members of the union.

Raheem said: "ASUU has been suspended at UNILORIN since 2001 and the suspension has not been lifted. There is nobody that can claim to be legal ASUU member at the UNILORIN. If the national ASUU is willing to back and reintegrate us, we are willing to discuss. After 15 years you cannot say that the next thing is election; that you have suspended a branch for 15 years and you now come back to say the next thing is election that is unreasonable. Where is that done? You dragged us to court on different occasions and we say you withdraw those cases. You said no. Majority of our professors are on suspension from ASUU. Can we discuss ASUU UNILORIN without those people?

"UNILORIN is sanctioned. No external examiners, no invigilation. ASUU should lift all of these so that we can be on the same page. Then we can now hold elections. If we hold election today I'm confident I am not going to lose. No. This is because the other so-called faction has only 12 members. In the congress they called they were just 11 in the whole of this university and they are telling us they are the ones recognised by the national body. We don't even recognise the national body because the national body is biased.

"If you have two children, is it by abandoning one that you will solve the problem? If somebody has been out of the university in the last 15 years when he was the chairman and still comes back to say he wants to retain the seat. Is it even possible in the animal kingdom that that person will return after fifteen years and calls himself the chairman of that association?

"Whatever national ASUU wants to give Dr Kayode Afolayan, he cannot take UNILORIN ASUU. If the national ASUU wants UNILORIN back, it should write officially to me. Anything short of that my faction will remain the recognised ASUU at the UNILORIN; nothing more nothing less."

To Dr Afolayan, the Raheem-led "ASUU is illegal, lawless and unconstitutional. Their claim of being more in number is irrelevant. Number is relative. ASUU follows rule of law and constitution. The matter is constitutional." Afolayan accused management of taking sides with Raheeem on the matter.

"Indeed, they are a set of lawless people and it is a shame that UNILORIN is supporting them. They cannot say that ASUU led by me is not recognised. There is an evil collaboration between UNILORIN and whatever group it claims it is recognising.

"They are only helping the authorities to destroy the institution. They are not ASUU members. There is palpable fear everywhere on the campus as the vice chancellor does what he likes. That type of one-man dictatorship is what ASUU led by me is out to prevent," he said. Asked for his comment, the VC, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, described the development as an internal issue that would be amicably resolved. Ambali confirmed that there were rumours of plans by some external ASUU members to conduct election for the local chapter.

He said management was not informed by anybody or group about plans to elect new leaders for ASUU in the university. Ambali said he would do all in his power to sustain the peace and stable academic calendar the institution has enjoyed for long. "For 16 years UNILORIN has enjoyed peace. It is a routine exercise that when we notice anything that could breach the peace, we beef-up security. For about 10 years our local ASUU has been suspended by the national body of the union, but since then, we have had about three ASUU executives. An election was held about two months ago to elect new leaders for ASUU.

"ASUU and management's relationship has been very cordial. We are on the same page on maintaining stable academic calendar and moving the university forward," he said. The VC, who said his door was open for dialogue and mediation, warned that "any move to challenge the peace which UNILORIN has been enjoying will be resisted by Nigerians."

He continued: "We've improved in terms of infrastructure, staff and students welfare. We should all come together to make the university better by far. "UNILORIN is the most subscribed university in Nigeria in the last three years. Things cannot be done the way they used to be in the past 20 years. There is only one ASUU on ground. "The new group which is trying to spring up has about 13 members while the substantive ASUU has over 700 members."

A teacher, who did not want to be named, urged the factions and management to resolve their differences in the interest of the students, lecturers and parents. "The ASUU imbroglio needs to be resolved soonest; the interested parties must be ready to move forward by sheathing their swords," the source said.

The source added: "Unionism is not about being the mouthpiece of the administration all the time. Intellectuals are known for their integrity, credibility and scholarship not for politicking. Staff welfare should be looked into the administration should avoid non-payment or delay in implementation of agreed earned allowances to sustain the relative industrial peace being enjoyed at the moment. Office and classroom infrastructure should be improved upon to boost the morale of staff and students." Oloruntoba-Oju, who led the UNILORIN 49 struggle, said the Raheem group could not be regarded as legal because its election was not ratified by the ASUU national leadership.

He said: "ASUU is not a local union. It is a national union with branches in all state-funded universities. By the union's constitution therefore, you cannot become chairman of a branch without an election approved, organised, supervised and certified by the central union. "It is as simple as that. So when a group gathers itself together out of the operations of ASUU as a national body, then this is not a case of factionalisation at all.

"What we have is a group of individuals (currently led by Dr U.A. Raheem) who never conducted any election known to ASUU as a body, yet they are claiming to be 'ASUU executive.’ On the other hand you have a union approved and supervised election which was well advertised and which produced the current Chairman of the union (Dr Kayode Afolayan)." "What makes the matters worse is that the National Industrial Court has declared the group to be illegal as far back as February 2013.

Oloruntoba-Oju also blamed the university management for interfering in union matters. "Perhaps the saddest part of this so called factionalisation is that the university is supporting this lawlessness. The university should know better. The University certainly has no business interfering in union affairs. If anything its business is to align with those following the law."