He said, “We convened the branch congress to reconcile ourselves and be one body following the misunderstanding we had during the past administration. Some left the union and as a result, it was difficult to demand our rights while divided.
“We have seen our members dying. No staff of the university, dead or retired has received one naira as pension benefits from the state government.
“One of the security officers held one of us on the shirt and dragged his phone from him. We simply showed them maturity because we can’t operate at their levels.
“I have not seen anywhere in the world a DVC is a leader of a trade union. It is absurd; just because they want to impress their paymaster. What manifested today is animalistic behavior.”
Prof. Osita Chiaghanam is a member of the other group, and according to him, the other group plans to join the upcoming ASUU strike with the intention of blackmailing the management and disrupting the smooth operation of the university, which is degrading the dignity of Nigerian federal universities.
He said, “All the lecturers resolved not to join any strike action, whether local or national because we don’t have any issues with the university management. We are not being owed, while we are still discussing with the management regarding any other grey areas, including pension.
“We also resolved to continue to deliver our mandate so as not to miss any academic calendar. It’s unfortunate that just about 10 of them decided to foment trouble and blackmail the university management with the aim of truncating the smooth running of the university.
“But we cannot fold our arms and watch the university being dragged in the mud by a few individuals. If they have any grouse they should feel free to approach the VC who has a listening ear.”
