By Ariwodola Idowu
Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti, proscribed all labour unions and shut the institution indefinitely on Saturday following a protest over poor staff welfare.
The university authorities also instructed students to vacate the campus without delay.
These are contained in a statement issued by Mr Bode Olofinmuagun, Head, Directorate of Information and Corporate Affairs of the university.
Olofinmuagun said the Governing Council of the university decided to shut the institution to safeguard lives and property.
“The Governing Council of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, announces the immediate closure of the university.
“All academic activities are hereby suspended.
“This is as a result of the continuous disruption of lawful activities on campus which have endangered lives and property in the past one week.
“Consequently, to guarantee peace and orderliness on campus, all the four university chapters of the unions are hereby proscribed with immediate effect.
“They are ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the National Association of Academic Technologists and Non-Academic Staff of Universities.
“All students are advised to vacate the campus forthwith,’’ he stated.
Crisis erupted on Monday after workers of the institution across the various unions, hired a musical band to perform at the main entrance of the institution.
They said the move was part of a strategy to press home their demands over unpaid salaries and allowances, among other things.
The workers’ action paralysed academic and non-academic activities on the campus.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Azeez Aguda, the Secretary of SSANU, EKSU branch, said the action would continue until the university authorities acceded to workers’ demands.
He listed the demands to include payment of July, August, and September 2018 salaries, remittance of cooperative and pension dues, and reinstatement of sacked workers.
The unions also accused the university authorities of reneging on the commitments of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed with workers in 2020 and witnessed by members of the state’s House of Assembly.
Reacting, the university authorities said that most of the workers’ demands were made before the current administration took office.
The varsity authorities said some of the demands had been addressed while others were in the process of being met adding that it had not reneged on the 2020 MoA. (NAN)
