I Am A Victim Of ‘Political Moves’, Says Sacked LASU-ASUU Chair

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Lagos State University, LASU Chapter, Isaac Oyewunmi, has denied the corruption allegation levelled against him by the authorities of the school.

Oyewunmi, in a chat with PREMIUM TIMES blamed his predicament on “political moves.”

“All the allegations are false. I am not guilty although right now I have been asked to step aside while the union (ASUU) deals with it. The secretary is in the best position to react,” the embattlesd ASUU leader told the online newspaper.

The Governing Council of the institution on Friday announced the dismissal of Oyewunmi alongside his deputy, Adebowale Adeyemi, for various alleged fraudulent activities.

According to the statement by the university authorities, the Council at its meeting of September 7 dismissed 15 academic staff and two non-academic staff for sundry offences.

The dismissal notice was contained in a press statement signed by the acting head of the information, press and public relations unit of the university, Ademola Adekoya.

Notable among the dismissed staff is Oyewunmi, who is a lecturer in the department of Human Kinetics, Sports and Health Education and his deputy, Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu, who was the acting head of History and International relations department before his dismissal.

Oyewunmi was accused of demanding N50,000 from 2003 modular year students of Political Science Education who were poised to process their results while Adeyemi-Suenu was accused of “unilaterally changing the status of students earlier asked to withdraw from the university from ‘withdraw’ to ‘good standing.”

However, Oyewunmi denied all allegations levelled against him.

“I don’t want to say much but we all know what is happening in our varsity, all they are saying is politically motivated. When the time is right, we would know. We have a robust structure in ASUU and the union has asked me not to talk on this issue so I won’t flay the union’s position,” he told the online newspaper on the phone.

On his own part, Anthony Dansu, secretary of LASU-ASUU branch, said the decision came as a shock.

“We are very shocked by the actions. It came to us all as a shock but the union is on top of the whole situation. At the appropriate time, the union will act,” he said.

It was gathered that the bribery allegation levelled against the ASUU Chairman dates back to January 2017 when a student claimed that he asked him and his colleagues to pay N50,000 for processing of their results.

On October 6, 2016, a petition signed by one Abiodun Jolaosho, accused Oyewunmi of using a surrogate to demand N50,000 each from sandwich students in order to come up with results of modules for 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The petitioner claimed that Oyewunmi, who was then the course coordinator, claimed that the results were swept away by rain.

Copies of the petition were sent to the Office of the Lagos State Governor, Deputy Governor, Attorney General/ Commissioner for Justice, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Special Adviser on Education, as well as Chancellor and Pro Chancellor of the university.

Oyewunmi reportedly faced a panel on January 9 to defend himself on the bribery allegations.

The panel was led by the Dean Faculty of Law, Mike Ikhariale.