The Lagos State University (LASU) chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has demanded for an immediate re-opening of LASU for academic activities. At a media briefing, the union faults the closure of the university by the management and made an appeal to the Governing Council to direct the re-opening of LASU. Addressing newsmen alongside his exco and some members, the ASUU-LASU chairman, Dr. Adekunle Idris, insist the vote of no confidence passed by the congress against the Vice Chancellor, Prof John Obafunwa remains. He warned of a plan by the university management to use the students against the staff unions and plead with parents to monitor their wards to afford them being used. Dr. Idris said the reason given by the management for the closure of the university was wrong noting that "it is over three weeks after the general elections, why have they not reopen LASU. It was only LASU out of other tertiary institutions in the state that was closed for elections. Now that the polls are over, let them open the university". The ASUU boss said: ‘’Till date, over three weeks after the illegal recess was declared, the university administration has kept our students at home. It is now seven days after the last of the general elections. ‘’The union maintains that declaring an open-ended recess and aborting academic activities without Senate approval is illegal in a university system. Worse still, declaring a recess for the purpose of elections when all other universities in the country remained in session including other Lagos state owned institutions in unexplainable. ‘’Since the elections ended Saturday, April 11, 2015, we have lost another week of academic activities without any pronouncement of a resumption date. The union is disturbed by this disregard for the academic calendar of a university which will automatically affect the quality of graduates to be produced. "We, therefore, urge all stakeholders and the general public to appeal to the authorities to re-open the university for academic activities to resume immediately. The government should also resume genuine dialogue with all staff unions in the university," he stressed. As stated by the ASUU chairman, the university administration is trying to lure students into the matter between the workers and Prof Obafunwa. He further maintained that academic staff has no confidence in the leadership of Prof Obafunwa and cannot work with him and demanded that he proceed on his terminal leave while acting VC should be appointed to run the university.
