Prof. James Adelabu, the Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, on Tuesday said the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the institution had no reason to justify its action.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalled that the union had on Monday embarked on an indefinite strike, accusing the vice chancellor of misappropriating the school’s funds.
Prof. James Adelabu
It claimed that Adelabu checked-off the union dues in 2013 and refused to remit the fund to it.
It also alleged that allowances entitled to members were not paid by the authority.
However, at a news conference in Gwagwalada, FCT, on Tuesday, Adelabu denied the union’s claims.
He said an allegation that he opened an account and was diverting the school funds into it was not true.
Adelabu said that the union was ignorant of the development regarding the check-off dues.
He said that there was a directive from the Federal Ministry of Education stopping all university authorities from collecting and remitting check-off dues to the union.
“ Salary is paid in full. How can they say I have deducted something and have diverted it somewhere?
“ All what the union is trying to do is just to paralyse the system,’’ he said.
Adelabu said the issue of white paper the union raised was not a local matter, and that he had no idea of the report.
He, however, said that students who were to go for industrial work experience after their examination were currently taking their papers.
“The Integrity Group of ASUU and me will supervise the exams.
“ The institution has two bodies under the union. There is the ASUU Integrity and ASUU Splinter. The ASUU splinter is the group on strike,’’ Adelabu said.
He said that the integrity group had earlier resolved that the reason for the strike by the union was flimsy and not in tandem with acceptable principles and ideology of unionism.
