Date: 2017-01-23

FOLLOWING what it described as persistent violation of human and trade union rights, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has instructed its members nationwide to boycott all academic and allied activities at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

Also the academic union barred all the university academic staff from carrying out any academic activity in any public universities in the country. This was contained in part of the resolutions reached at the end of its Awka National Executive Council meeting.

In the statement which was given to newsmen in Ibadan by the Chairman University of Ibadan Chapter of the union, Dr Deji Omole, ASUU alleged that the university management and its sponsored groups were fuelling crisis by forcefully deducting check-off dues without remitting it to the national body.

ASUU vowed that for the duration of the sanctions, academic Staff of the University of Ilorin would no longer enjoy the cooperation, collaboration or participation of academics of other Nigerian public universities.

According to to the union, areas that the sanctions covered include teaching, research and supervision of students; setting, moderation or assessment of examinations; external assessment for professorial cadre appointments or promotions; sabbatical, visiting, part-time and adjunct appointments, accreditation of institutions, colleges and programmes and courses, collaborative research, peer review of journal articles and patronage of journals; attendance of conferences, workshops, seminars and other related activities.

Omole further stated that "despite all intervention efforts by the Academic Staff Union of Universities since 2001, the University of Ilorin administration has persisted in acts of lawlessness, arbitrariness, violation of human and trade union rights, and persecution of loyal members.

Contrary to the law and despite the ruling of the National Industrial Court, the University has continued to prevent the Union from functioning on its campus.

The University has also continued to forcefully collect check-off money from academics of the university in the name of the Union without remitting it to the Union.

The union, he added, was bound to protect the principles of democracy and the exercise of freedom in the academia. It also insisted that on the right to function through its own accredited representatives on Nigerian University campuses.

"NEC at its meeting at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, recognized distinct groups that have emerged in creating and prolonging the crisis at the University of Ilorin."