Stories By Martin Paul
Abuja
The University of Abuja branch of the Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU) has thrown its support on the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Micheal Adikwu.
The union said the vice-chancellor deserved some air support to effectively manage and direct the affairs of the institution without resentment.
It stated that the recent attacks on the management of the university governing council was a distraction and interference by national leadership of the union, was unwelcome.
SSANU said like any other institution, the university management has its internal affairs to deal with, stressing that with the unguarded media utterances and publications, the national body of the union might soon lose its credibility in the education sector if it doesn’t call itself to order.
A member of the local branch of the association, Malam Garba Mohammed, who reacted to a newspaper publication, headlined “SSANU battles Abuja varsity VC over sack of two union members’’, said the disciplinary measures meted on two senior members of university, Messrs Jude Nwabueze and Nurudeen Yusuf, were strictly an internal affairs of the institution.
The decision, according to him, was sequel to “a careful application of the university’s extant laws and relevant sections of University of Abuja’s condition of service, which the affected staff can still seek a judicial review if they so wish
Mohammed also noted that the national body’s 21 day ultimatum within which the VC was asked to withdraw comments made against its “leadership or face its wrath, was a misrepresentation.
It would be recalled that the university council recently suspended the university’s SSANU branch chairman, Comrade Jude Nwabueze, and Secretary, Comrade Nurudeen Yusuf, for gross misconduct, absenteeism from duty and insubordination, and not for dragging the management to the federal government over corruption allegations, as stated by SSANU in the publication
The SSANU chieftain further denied that the university is currently being investigated by the EFCC as insinuated by SSANU leadership and that since there is currently a leadership vacuum at the local branch of the union, the management is right not to tolerate anyone parading or speaking on behalf of the local branch until a proper election is held to fill the leadership vacuum
The leadership position of the local union had remained vacant and crises ridden following the expiration of the tenures of Jude Nwabueze and Nurudeen Yusuf, who were also alleged to have misappropriated union funds and landed properties.
