The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the splinter Congress of University Academics (CONUA) are fighting for the control turf at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife. Each is laying claim to have power to control the secretariat once ran by ASUU when the going was good. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA reports.
The battle for supremacy is raging between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the splinter Congress of University Academics (CONUA) at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
CONUA, which broke away from ASUU in March, is seeking to take over the secretariat which is in ASUU’s control.
CONUA came into being following disagreements over election results and alleged management involvement in ASUU affairs. There were also claims that the national ASUU leadership’s interference polarised its local chapter.
CONUA claims it has 900 members compared to ASUU’s 500 and so deserves a share of the union’s assets which belong to all members.
Its leaders have petitioned the Vice Chancellor (VC), Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, over ASUU’s alleged attempt to take over the secretariat by force.
The petition signed by the CONUA’s Chairman, Dr Niyi Sunmonu and Secretary, Dr. H. A. Oripeloye, copied the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Zone 11, Osun State Commissioner of Police, Area Commander, Ile-Ife and Chief Security Officer of OAU.
In the two-page petition titled: ”Report of ASUU’s attempt to take possession of the union secretariat by force”, CONUA said ASUU OAU branch and members from other universities on July 25 attempted to break into and take possession of the secretariat that has been a subject of dispute for two years.
The leaders claimed that the takeover bid came when fundamental issues that led to the sealing off of the office were yet to be addressed.
They recalled that the crisis in ASUU OAU reached its climax when the National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, removed the branch Treasurer Dr. M. O. Awoyemi and replaced him with Dr Saheed Adekilekun, who then doubled as the treasurer and financial secretary.
Vowing to resist any act of aggression the CONUA leader said. ”To our surprise, rather than the executive of ASUU OAU branch to address the issues that have been tabled before them, they continued to lay claim to all the things that had jointly been acquired over the years, including the funds in the different accounts of the union (up till July 2017), the bus and the equipment at the secretariat. The attempt to take possession of the secretariat by force represents the height of provocation.
”We want to seize this opportunity to inform the VC that members of CONUA will not allow ASUU to ride roughshod on us. We are determined never to allow that union to take possession of the secretariat until the question of assets sharing (based on the current 900 CONUA: 500 ASUU membership ratio) has been addressed. While we will continue to adopt the method of peaceful resistance, we urge you to urge ASUU to desist from its act of deliberate provocation”.
According to CONUA, the attempt to seize the secretariat was led by ASUU Zonal Coordinator for Akure Zone, Dr. Alex Odiyi from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Dr. Bola Oniya (also from FUTA, Akure), Dr. Adeola Egbedokun, Dr. Caleb Aborisade and about 35 others who are members of ASUU OAU branch.
But to ASUU OAU branch Chairman, Dr Adeola Egbedokun, the secretariat belongs to ASUU.
He said that Odiyi was instructed by the principal officers of the union to oversee the reopening of the secretariat, because it was locked and welded by CONUA members.
“The only organisation that bears a union is ASUU and that points to the fact that the allegation, as written by the individuals in CONUA, clearly shows that they are disillusioned and do not have the full knowledge of what they were saying,” he said.
On assets sharing, Egbedokun referred CONUA to Article 16 (ii) of ASUU constitution, which states: “All the properties of the union, both realty and personality, shall be vested in the trustees jointly in trust for the union and the trustees shall deal with the same in the interest and to the benefit of the union or as may be directed by the National Executive Council.”
CONUA members, he said, were not aware of this constitutional provision thus their demand for asset sharing.
“Since they have ceased to be members of the union, they cannot lay claim to any property of the union.”
The ASUU chairman stressed that their check-off had been stopped, adding that CONUA members had no legal standing to ask anyone to share funds with them.
Contacted, the varsity’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, said management was aware of the crisis, but would not interfere in union matters.
“In the first instance, everybody was employed as a staff member of the university and not union members.
In a situation like this, management will not want to be involved. We believe they are matured and intelligent enough and know how to resolve their crisis in their own way.
“Remember that they were once one before, so if they split, it is not management’s duty to wade in,” he told The Nation on phone.
However, Ogunyemi said the national body would still react to the CONUA petition.
“It is true that we had been informed that they (CONUA) wrote a petition; but we are yet to have a copy. Once that is done, the national body shall then study it and make a comprehensive response,” he said on phone.