Why We Declared UNILORIN A Terrorist Organization – ASUU

It’s probably the season of precautions for the African’s largest country, Nigeria. As the use of the security-related terminology ‘terrorism’ is not only peculiar to security agencies but has now expanded to the educational sector and as a matter of fact, in the University of Ilorin, receiving the recent label.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has described the
University of Ilorin as a terrorist organisation after the
institution reportedly sacked the ASUU chairman in the school,
Dr. Kayode Afolayan, for allegedly exposing corrupt practices
of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali.

In a letter signed on behalf of the union by the chairman of the
University of Ibadan chapter of ASUU, Dr. Ayodeji Omole, and
the Zonal Coordinator, ASUU Ibadan Zone, Dr. Ade Adejumo,
the lecturers said that Unilorin under the fomer Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ambali perpetrated corrupt activities against the legitimate industrial relations.

The letter partly read,

“Indeed, the university prides itself in its
ability to kill off (members of) staff and students that are
connected in any way to ASUU leadership. This hate crime on the part of the university is usually carried out under the guise of uninterrupted academic calendar. Yet, many universities have also maintained a stable academic calendar without destroying union members or their careers. To all intents and purposes, Unilorin has become a terrorist organisation as far
as industrial relation is concerned.

“Prof Ambali took all these to an unprecedented height when in 2015, he smuggled his wife, Dr. Taiwo Ambali, into the
university through the temporary appointment route as Lecturer 1. By 2016, less than one year later, she had been
promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer, when the regulation specifies at least three years before such a promotion could take place.