The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone, has rejected threats of industrial actions by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) over the decisions of the Governing Council of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) which cleared the vice-chancellor, Abayomi Fasina, of Sexual Harassment allegations.
A former Director of Works at the university, Folasade Adebayo, had accused Mr Fasina, a professor, of sexual harassment.
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Mrs Adebayo, a member of SSANU, said the vice-chancellor took to victimising her after she rejected his advances.
In February, the university council constituted a committee to look into the allegations.
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However, the council after reviewing the committee’s report cleared the vice-chancellor of the allegations and asked the accuser to apologise.
SSANU rejected the decision and described it as a dangerous precedent in the university system.
SSANU also said in a statement by its National Vice President, Abdussobur Salam, that it has begun mobilising members from all 26 universities in the Western Zone of union “for a possible industrial action and we shall not stop until our demands are met.”
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NANS reacts
In a statement jointly signed by NANS Southwest Coordinator, Owolewa Taiwo, and General Secretary, Oluwole Olutunde, the students leaders said it is aware of “veiled threats” by SSANU to mobilise its members for an industrial action or protest in FUOYE.
NANS said it would resist any such moves with “even greater mobilization across our over 70 tertiary institutions comprising more than 300,000 students.”
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“As the authentic and legitimate voice of Nigerian students across the southwest, we state without ambiguity that we will not fold our arms and watch any individual or group—whether union or non-union—plunge our institution into chaos or truncate the academic calendar that affects the future of over 50,000 students at FUOYE,” the NANS statement reads in part.
“This is not a threat; this is a declaration of readiness to protect the academic future of Nigerian students.”
The students body also called on stakeholders to intervene decisively to ensure industrial peace and stability at FUOYE.
“We are committed to dialogue, justice, and equity, but we will not allow the future of Nigerian students to be jeopardized by anyone hiding under the guise of unionism, ”it added.
“We also call on SSANU to pursue their grievances through the proper legal and administrative channels rather than resorting to disruptive actions that may lead to further crises.”
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