LASU shut indefinitely, staff, students ordered to vacate campus

Management of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, has asked students and staff of the institution to vacate the campus till further notice.

In a statement signed by the Director of Information, Press and Public Relation, Mrs. Ronke Osho, titled: ‘LASU Declares Election Recess’, students and staff were advised to vacate the campus immediately with effect from Monday 23, 2015.

“In view of the forthcoming national and state elections scheduled for March 28 and April 11 respectively, the university management has declared a recess for both staff and students, with effect from Monday, March 23, 2015, students and staff are therefore advised to vacate the campus immediately. The date of resumption will be announced later.”

Meanwhile, there is an ongoing protest by employees of the university.

Workers alleged that Lagos State government officials stormed the campus in the early hours of yesterday with a towing van to pull the buses and vehicles used by the staff union to block the two main gates.

In the process of pulling the buses and vehicles, they were badly damaged and this action further angered the workers, who staged a protest around the campus chanting anti-management songs and bearing placards with different inscriptions.

No fewer than six police vans and about 20-armed policemen were stationed at the main gate of the university and their attempt to enter the campus was resisted by the workers who chased them out.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), LASU chapter, Comrade Saheed Oseni, noted that rather than address the issues in contention, the state government and the university management allegedly vandalised their buses and vehicles used to block the two gates.

He confirmed that what happened early yesterday, triggered the renew protest, stressing: “We don’t have any issue with the state government but with the university management,” even as he decried the silence of the Governing Council over the ongoing crisis.

The workers yesterday vowed that the embattled the Vice Chancellor, Prof John Obafunwa would not be allowed into the campus and rejected the state government idea to allow the VC to complete his term.