LASU Workers Cripple Convocation Ceremony, Chase VC Out

Members of staff of the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, yesterday protested what they called bad administrative style of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Obafunwa, chasing Reghim out of campus alongside other principal officers.

The staffers under the various trade unions in the institution, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, listed victimisation of staff, non-payment of outstanding salary arrears, violation of due process, ruining staff image in newspapers, withdrawal of PhD certificates of some lecturers, denial of letters for elected Governing Council and Senate members, as some of their grouses against the authority, thus warranting the protest.

Aside the academic and administrative activities that were paralysed in the process, both the Senate meeting and Coconut Breaking festival as parts of ongoing convocation ceremony could not also hold.

National Mirror gathered that the aggrieved workers started the protest around 7.45am, blocking both the main gate on Badagry Expressway and Iba gate with vehicles, despite the presence of armed policemen and campus security officers, to prevent vehicular movement in and out of the campus.

They were singing anti- Obafunwa songs, while some laid siege to the coconut breaking festival venue where the vice-chancellor and his team were expected.

It was further gathered that at 9:55am, Prof Obafunwa and other principal officers were escorted into the main campus by armed policemen and the protesting workers followed, chanting solidarity songs.

While approaching Block 1, which houses the VC and other principal officers’ offices, the workers quickly blocked the entrance and prevented him and his two deputies from gaining entrance.

They were pelted with sachet water, forcing the policemen to hurriedly escort the vice chancellor and others out of hithe arena and eventually out of the campus at 11.10am.