LASU Crisis: Keyamo writes Fashola

ILLUMINATING FACTS ABOUT THE MAL-ADMINISTRATION OF PROF. LATEEF AKANNI HUSSAIN IN LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY

The unions of the Lagos State University ASUU, SSANU, NASU and NAAT hereby present an insight into how LASU has been run since the assumption of duty of Prof. L. A. Hussain as Vice- chancellor of Lagos State University with all his excesses which we have tolerated before this current crisis erupted. Unknowingly, the University Governing Council and the Visitor were deceitfully misled into believing that Professor L. A. Hussain was turning LASU around.

In contrast to this positive perception held about Professor L. A. Hussain, he has turned LASU into his personal empire/business venture and a slave enclave. In fact, his running of the University can be likened to that contained/obtained in the widely read literature text – Animal Farm by George Orwell.

All these will be revealed so that you can appreciate our positions/demands that Professor L. A. Hussain must be removed as Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University.

Some of these revelations may look shocking, unbelievable and impossible but they actually happened in this ivory tower. They are nothing but real life situations with witnesses and documents. The allegations are itemized as follows:

Financial Fraud: Contract splitting, over invoicing, contract inflation and blatant disregard to due process. Creation of illegal vice-chancellor tenders board which is not recognized by the University committee system, this is an avenue of siphoning LASU funds

Discriminatory and irregular appointments by imposition of relations particularly retirees’ (who are above 70 years), friends from University of Ibadan.

Victimization, intimidation and harassment of staff and union leaders.

Witch-hunting of scholars, staffs and students leaders.

Indiscriminate termination of appointment of perceived enemies.

Award of contracts to contractors who are not registered
Writing of cheques in the name of Professor Laide Adedokun as against the directive of the LASU Governing Council.

Long tenure for personal friends of the Vice Chancellor on secondary assignment.

Fraudulent purchase /supply of obsolete equipment, wastage and abandonment of equipment of central research laboratory.

Mismanagement of resources in relation to internally generated revenue (IGR) estimated to be around =N=5,000,000,000 (Five billion naira) yearly.

Lagos State Government is not sincere by the recent press briefing on the Lagos State University crisis as contained in the presentation of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Barrister Opeyemi Bamidele held on Tuesday, 1 st of December, 2009. It is surprising that the government of Lagos state is shielding, aiding and abetting corruption when it issued an ultimatum that staff should resume on or before the 4 th December, 2009 or they will be sacked without addressing the issues of a corrupt Vice-Chancellor. It is pertinent to note that after exploring all peaceful avenues to resolving the crisis, Lagos State Government is still adamant in imposing Professor L. A. Hussain who has been indicted for Fraud and Corruption. The adopted report of the Honourable members of the House of Assembly which clearly indicted Professor L. A. Hussain for splitting of contracts; approving contracts beyond his approval limit among other irregularities were neither addressed nor sanctioned.

One therefore wonders why the insistence of the Lagos State Government that Professor L. A. Hussain remains in office and untouchable while a Visitation Panel probes his administration; in spite of the overwhelming proven evidences of corrupt practices against him. It may interest the public that what Lagos State Government is trying to sweep under the carpet has in the recent time sent to jail some prominent Nigerians as stated below:

Jailing of LASTMA official for four years for taking N10,000.00 (Ten Thousand Naira) bribe.

Removal/impeachment of the former deputy speaker LAHA for gross misconduct and arrogance.

Removal of the former vice-chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye for misconduct.

Jailing of the former Vice-Chancellor of Imo State University for corruption and misconduct (EFCC)

Jailing of Bode George for splitting of contracts to circumvent higher authorities (EFCC).

Removal of the former Vice-Chancellor by the Ondo State Government for corruption and misconduct.

Removal of the former Vice-Chancellor of Enugu State University for corruption and misconduct.

In conclusion, we wish to reitrate our unalloyed commitment to the peace and development of the Lagos State University, Lagos state and Nigeria in general. We therefore call on the authority to kindly uphold truth, fairness, equity and justice for the overall interest of Lagos state in particular and the Nigerian nation in general.

RE: ULTIMATUM TO STRIKING WORKERS OF LASU: OPEN REQUEST BY ALL LABOUR UNIONS OF LASU TO SUSPEND THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, PROFESSOR L.A. HUSSAIN, FOR SUNDRY OFFENCES (PENDING INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION) BEFORE RESUMPTION OF WORK.

We are Solicitors to all the Labour Unions of the Lagos State University (LASU), which consist of:

TheAcademic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU)
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU)
The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

That following complaints of our clients over mis-management, maladministration and fraud levied against the Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Professor L. A. Hussain in the management of the affairs of the University, to relevant agencies and bodies like the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Lagos State House of Assembly, the latter (Lagos State House of Assembly) swung into action to thoroughly investigate these allegations.

Whilst the investigation of the EFCC and ICPC are at an advanced stage, the Legislative Arm of the Lagos State Government, that is, the Lagos State House of Assembly, at its sitting of Tuesday, November 24, 2009, considered the report of its six-man panel that probed the said allegation and adopted the Panel’s report. Letters to this effect dated the 30 th day of November, 2009, have been forwarded to all the Unions.

The report, in brief, indicted the Vice-Chancellor, Professor L.A. Hussain of financial mismanagement, fraud, contract splitting and inflation, blatant disregard for due process and sundry offences. (Please find attached a full copy of the report and the letter of the House to our clients accepting the said report).

It is pertinent to stress at this stage that the Executive Arm of the Lagos State Government cannot disregard the said report as it is a document of the Lagos State Government.

It is in the light of the above that we are genuinely surprised that the Executive Arm of the Lagos State Government has given an ultimatum to our clients to resume work on Friday, December 4, 2009 or face dire consequences, without addressing the grouse of our clients, namely, the allegation of corruption levied against the Vice-Chancellor, for which the Lagos State House of Assembly has indicted him.

Granted that the report of the House of Assembly may not be conclusive of the guilt of the Vice-Chancellor, it is however a report that can clearly form the basis of further investigation and prosecution in a court of law since the House is constitutionally empowered to carry out such investigation by virtue of Section 128 of the 1999 Constitution. It is also totally unthinkable that the Vice-Chancellor should continue to preside over the affairs of the institution when such a scathing indictment has been made against him which may likely lead to his prosecution and conviction.

Your Excellency, no responsible Government will tolerate and condone corrupt practices, not the least your Government. Your Excellency can understand why we are in utter shock that you have ordered the re-opening of the institution with Professor L. A. Hussain still in charge and have threatened fire and brimstone against the whistle-blowers, who are our clients and are major stakeholders in the institution.

Consequently, and in view of the above, we are constrained to request the following:

That you do the needful by suspending the Vice-Chancellor, Professor L. A. Hussain, pending the completion of the on-going investigation by other agencies.

That you withdraw the ultimatum issued against our clients as it smacks of a desperate effort to suppress the core issue of corruption levied against the Vice-Chancellor, Professor L. A. Hussain.

Finally, our clients restate their resolve NOT to RESUME WORK UNTIL THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, PROFESSOR L. A. HUSSAIN IS SUSPENDED FOR ALLEGED CORRUPT PRACTICES PENDING THE OUTCOME OF FURTHER INVESTIGATION AND POSSIBLE PROSECUTION.