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Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Lagos chapter, Dr Adelaja Odukoya, has hinted that his members may embark on strike, if the institution’s management fails to implement the agreements reached with the union.
Disclosing that a rally had been scheduled to take place on Wednesday over the matter, the chairman listed some of the issues in dispute as irregularities in staff promotion process, method of professorial appointments, process of appointing heads of departments and the general welfare of academic staff.
He said: “Basically, the rally is to sensitise our members about the problems we face here. Since May, we have been engaging the management over some welfare issues, particularly the promotion of staff.
If things continue this way, we will be compelled to embark on a local strike. But we don’t want to do that and that is why we are bringing this to everybody’s attention, so they can understand what is going on in the institution.”
Speaking on what he called “notional promotion,” the chairman revealed that associate professors and professors, whose promotion were based on papers submitted two to four years earlier, had their appointments backdated without their arrears paid.
He further disclosed that the committee, which once reviewed this practice and resolved to correct it, was headed by Professor Rahamon Bello, before his appointment as vice chancellor.
“It is sad that he has refused to implement this when in fact he was the chairman of the committee which reviewed it”, Dr Odukoya stated.
He said the University of Lagos had adopted the principles of “No Ph.D, no promotion” and “No vacancy, no promotion,” both of which he described as ‘oppressive and discriminatory.’
“Ideally, a lecturer should be promoted up to the rank of Lecturer I without Ph.D, but here, there is no promotion at all. Some lecturers have remained Assistant Lecturers for eight years, simply because they do not have Ph.D”, Dr Odukoya said.
He said it was also their demand that heads of departments be chosen through elections rather than appointment by the vice chancellor.
“That is the only way we can hold them accountable”, he added.