JAF demands immediate recall of victimized LASU 5 lecturers as workers mark international Workers’ Day
The Joint Action Front (JAF) has demanded for the immediate reinstatement of five sacked leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Lagos State University (LASU), popularly referred to as the ASUU-LASU 5.
In a statement, Peluola Adewale, JAF National Mobilisation Officer, described the nearly decade-long victimization and dismissal of the union leaders as a grave injustice that undermines labour rights, academic freedom, and democratic principles in Nigeria’s education sector.
The affected unionists are: Dr. Isaac Akinloye Oyewumi (Chairperson), Dr. Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu (Vice Chairperson), Dr. Tony Dansu (Secretary), Dr. Adeolu Oyekan (Assistant Secretary) and Dr. Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare (Treasurer).
JAF in the statement, condemned the Lagos State University authorities and the Visitor to the university, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, accusing them of delaying the reinstatement of the lecturers despite a February 2022 decision by the university’s Governing Council that reportedly found their dismissal unjust.
The coalition warned that the prolonged victimization has created a climate of fear and intimidation at LASU, weakening union activities among academic staff and sending a chilling message to other tertiary institutions across Lagos State.
According to JAF, the repression has also negatively affected student unionism and broader civic engagement within the university.
The group further linked the current atmosphere to the brutal assassination of Comrade Yusuf Nurudeen Omomeewa, a prominent student activist, in 2021, describing it as a tragic symbol of the dangers facing activists in a constrained civic space.
JAF urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to immediately remove all impediments preventing the full implementation of the Governing Council’s 2022 decision and ensure the ASUU-LASU 5 are recalled with full restoration of their salaries, benefits, and promotions.
The statement also called on the Lagos State leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to break their “disturbing silence” and join the demand for justice in the spirit of labour solidarity.
“An injury to one is an injury to all,” the group emphasized, calling on workers, trade unionists, civil society organizations, and people of good conscience to lend their voices to the campaign for the immediate reinstatement of the victimized lecturers.
