The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has ordered the upcoming physical emergency congress of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), chapter UNILAG and others to be cancelled as a precaution to deter coronavirus spread.
The vice-chancellor referred to the earlier request by the union for the meeting scheduled to take place on Wednesday in the foyer of the council chamber of the university, the same location for an earlier postponed council meeting of the university planned for the same date.
Meanwhile, seemingly as an reaction to the ASUU congress, another group of University employees under the umbrella of non-teaching UNILAG staff had arranged their meeting for the same time and venue.
But the vice-chancellor cautioned against meetings in his letter to the employees’ unions on the campus that might break the social distancing laws during the coronavirus pandemic.
The memo from the vice-chancellor, signed by Ademola Aliu, the acting director at the VC ‘s office, is entitled; “Meeting of Unions at the University Campus Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic.”
The memo, which was dated, July 13, reads in part; “Please recall that since the outbreak of coronavirus, the university has suspended all academic activities and placed restrictions on gatherings on campus to ensure the community is safe and secured. This is in line with the health advisories and guidelines issued by both the Lagos State Covid-19 response team and the presidential taskforce on covid-19.
“…Consequent upon this, the vice-chancellor has directed that I informed all the unions that no meeting should hold at the council chamber foyer under any disguise.”
The memo also advised the unions and all other members of the university community to note the “strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols of social distancing and wearing of masks in the university to prevent outbreak of the deadly coronavirus on our campus.”
Meanwhile, ASUU stated that its various leadership structures are already reviewing the management’s memo, and that its final decision will be communicated appropriately soon.
“We acknowledge the vice-chancellor’s memo and our layers of leadership are currently reviewing the situation. We are not oblivious of the pandemic and the danger it poses but we will communicate the union’s position appropriately soon,” Mr Ashiru told our reporter on the phone.
In a similar development, a Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), has reacted to the management’s directive.
The JAC’s statement, which was addressed to the two unions’ members on the campus, was signed by their chairmen on both the main campus and its college of medicine located in Idi-Araba.
The signatories are Kehinde Ajibade and Olushola Showunmi for the Akoka campus of NASU and SSANU respectively while those identified simply as T.S Aderibigbe and M.K Olofindiran respectively represented NASU and SSANU of the college of medicine.
The JAC condemned the notice issued to its members.
“We, therefore, condemn such notice of meeting in totality. Our members are requested to disregard such illegal notice of meeting which has been circulated to members on social media platforms,” the response reads in part.
They have called on ASUU leadership on campus to maintain a healthy atmosphere inside and outside the campus, so the council can meet and discuss the wellbeing of the workers.
Meanwhile, the non-teaching staff meeting organisers could not be contacted for comment, because nobody signed the meeting’s notice.
