SSANU CRISIS : ABUJA VARSITY SUSPENDS TWO SENIOR STAFF

There  appears to be a cold war between some Vice-Chancellors of universities and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, as the management of the University of Abuja has suspended two senior staff for alleged whistle blowing.

 Recall that 23 SSANU members, including some present and former national officers of the union, were last week sacked by the Governing Council of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, for alleged indiscipline and whistle blowing.

SSANU had in its recent National Executive Meeting, NEC, requested the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to speedily conclude its investigations and further demanded that “the Federal Government urgently intervenes by setting up Special Visitation/Investigation Panels into the affairs of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, University of Abuja, Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, and other universities where allegations of corruption have been levelled against the Vice-Chancellors.”

According to a  reliable source  the vice-chancellors in their recent meeting, had resolved to deal with recalcitrant SSANU members who they accused had become more radicalised than the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

 On the other hand, the Comrade Samson Ugwoke-led SSANU had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to beam his searchlight on the authorities of universities, alleging that there was high profile corrupt practices going on in the ivory towers.

 Dissatisfied with the way the authorities were handling the affairs of University of Abuja, some senior staff sometime last year, wrote a petition, titled litany of Impunity the government through the Federal Minister of Education.

 Some of the allegations against the university’s management included issues bordering on corruption, alleged illegal and irregular recruitment of about 200 people without advertisement or due process,wanton embezzlement of funds under the guise of renting a guest House for the Pro-Chancellor; refusal to release the audit report of the transport unit which revealed graft by some staff to the tune of several millions of naira.