The Management of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, FUOYE, has debunked claims of opposing the applications of members of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) to join Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and obstructing the deduction of the said new members dues from their salary.
It described the claims as baseless and inflammatory.
This was made known on Tuesday in a press conference in Ado-Ekiti addressed by the Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Professor Abayomi Fasina, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof Tajudeen Bolanle Opoola.
He said, the SSANU Chairman of Ekiti State University, Mr. Temidayo Azeez Aguda in a radio programme alleged that the “VC created obstacles by insisting that approval must be sought from Management before a staff could join a Union of his or her choice, despite the fact that some staff members had expressed interest in joining SSANU and filling forms to that effect; that security agents threatened the SSANU Branch Chairman of FUOYE on the instruction of the Vice Chancellor; that the National President of SSANU and the Vice President (Western Zone) had instructed National Executive members of Ekiti and Ondo State to immediately occupy FUOYE, and that the VC may disrupt the peace in Ekiti land.”
The Deputy VC described the claims as, “inaccurate, baseless, and inflammatory”.
While speaking on the approval of staff to join the SSANU, he said the process of membership of SSANU must follow due process.
“Membership is free and the institution cannot compel members to join the Union, neither can SSANU compel non members to follow their instructions,” adding that the letter SSANU claimed they wrote seeking the deduction of dues from the said new members did not specifically contain call for deduction of dues.
Also, he noted that the SSANU Chairman was not harassed by security officers under the order of the VC as claimed, saying that the VC was not in Ekiti State on Monday, 18th March, 2024 which was the day of the alleged harassment, and that the VC did not order the Branch Chairman to be threatened or harassed.
He, however, agreed that the University sought the help of security agents to man the gate of the University and prevented the SSANU members from shutting it.
Speaking on the 7-day strike called by the National body of the Union to make the Federal Government pay withheld 2022 salaries, he said that FUOYE Management do not have the authority to pay the outstanding salaries but the Federal Government, revealing that “The strike commenced yesterday and it was peaceful in many universities in Nigeria.
“In Ekiti here, out of the three universities, FUOYE is the only University occupied on the directive of Mr Aguda announced on a Radio. The Strike was not observed at all in the other universities. Members of SSANU and NASU in EKSU did not join the strike. Yet a member of staff of EKSU had the temerity to orchestrate crises in FUOYE.
“We condemn the locking of our gate, our gate should not be locked and locking of the gate is not national. It is like a prepared war against FUOYE, we have had enough and our responses will be between the law.”
The Management called on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government to approve the payment of the outstanding four months salary in 2022.