There was pandemonium at the University of Benin yesterday Monday December 9th as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) UNIBEN chapter disrupted an ongoing lecture at the university and forced a UNIBEN lecturer out of the lecture hall.
This came as there was a division among lecturers at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), over whether to resume work or not.
Some UNIBEN lecturers resumed last week following the Federal Government’s directive to resume work and as a UNIBEN lecturer, Dr Godspower Ekhobase of the Computer Science gathered his students to begin his class, The Union members stormed the lecture room and stopped it.
NigerianEYE gathered that trouble started after Dr Ekhobase refused to listen to the directive given by the institution’s ASUU chapter, leading to a fracas.
The UNIBEN ASUU officials, led by its chairman, Dr Tony Emina-Monye, were said to have retreated after the lecturer was joined by the few students in class.
Dr Monye, however, said on phone that the lecturer behaved violently, adding that he broke his eye-glasses and ruffled his cloth.
He also said Dr Godspower also gripped the shirt of a former UNIBEN ASUU chairman.
The ASUU chairman, however, said they would not be deterred by the sack threat, as none of them would teach the students, who resumed for academic activities.
The ASUU officials also clashed with some policemen, who were reportedly invited to the institution by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Osayuki Godwin Oshodin, to keep peace.
Meanwhile, at least 30 lecturers in the Faculty of Law of the institution have already indicated interest to commence lectures as they had signed the register opened for them.
Most of the lecturers refused comments, but one of them, who pleaded anonymity, said they decided to resume because they were unhappy with the approach to the strike by ASUU.
He said ASUU should have called off the strike after the intervention by President Goodluck Jonathan.
When contacted on phone, the public relations officer of the institution, Mr Harris Osarenren, could not be reached for comments.
Read more: Nigerian Eye
If your definition of vision 20:20:20 is through indefinite strike then you are one of the most men miserable. We are at the verge of taken advantage of bilateral relationships occasioned by the movement of the man at the helm of affairs all we ought to do as a people is to embrace this rare gesture through appropriate support, loyalty and patriotism by all and sundry and shun every act by an individual or group capable of drawing the nation backward. There is decay in infrastructure of the university agreed but this has been properly communicated and comprehended by all the stakeholders. The question is why the protraction in the strike? Would the dreams and aspirations of Nigerians be achieved by this footing?
ALL OVER THE CIVILIZED WORLD TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP IS A VOLUNTARY ACTIVITY. YOU MAY WORK IN AN INDUSTRY AND CHOOSE TO NOT BE A MEMBER OF A UNION. IN MY OVER 15 YEARS WORKING IN OVER 4 COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD I HAVE NEVER JOINED A UNION OR BEING FORCED TO JOIN ONE EXCEPT IN NIGERIA. IT IS ONLY IN NIGERIA WHERE EVERYBODY IN AN INDUSTRY IS FORCED TO JOIN ONE.
TAKE THE ACADEMIC SECTOR IN NIGERIA FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW OF MANY UNIVERSITY LECTURERS THAT DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS CRAZY AND COUNTER PRODUCTIVE INDEFINITE STRIKE. THESE MEN AND WOMEN BREATHE; SLEEP AND DRINK JUST TO PASS KNOWLEDGE TO THEIR STUDENTS. THE THOUGHT OF NOT HAVING ACADEMIC CONTACT WITH THEIR STUDENTS FOR ONE WEEK TALK-LESS OF SIX MONTHS KILLS THEM.
THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS TYRANNICAL MILITANT UNION. BUT THEY CANT. THEY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT JOIN LIKE SHEEP. BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T THEY MIGHT AS WELL KISS BYE BYE TO AN ACADEMIC CAREER IN NIGERIA.
THIS IS BECAUSE IF YOU ARE NOT A UNIONIZED ACADEMIC YOU WILL BE WITCH HAUNTED AND BULLIED AND OSTRACIZED BY ASUU. YOU WILL NEVER GET PROMOTION.
THIS GOES CONTRARY TO THE UNITED NATIONS FREEDOM TO JOIN OR NOT JOIN A UNION PRINCIPLE AS WELL AS THE FREEDOM TO CROSS OR NOT CROSS THE PICKET LINE (DURING AN INDUSTRIAL STRIKE ACTION) PRINCIPLE.
A UNION IS FREE TO WITHDRAW ITS SERVICES, WHICH IS FINE HOWEVER IT IS NOT FREE TO COERCE OTHER EMPLOYEES OF THE SAME OR ANOTHER ORGANIZATION WHO ARE NOT ITS MEMBERS TO WITHDRAW SERVICES. IT IS ALSO NOT FREE TO SHUT THE WORKPLACE DOWN AND PREVENT OTHER EMPLOYEES WHO ARE NOT THEIR MEMBERS FROM EXERCISING THEIR RIGHTS TO WORK.
NIGERIA IS OVERDUE A LABOUR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS REFORM. WE NEED IT NOW.
IT IS TIME FOR OUR VERY WELL PAID LAWMAKERS AND LEGISLATORS TO GET OFF THEIR BACK SIDES AND PRODUCE A WORLD CLASS INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT WITHIN 90 DAYS!!!!!!
ENOUGH OF ABUSE OF THE NATION NIGERIA BY THESE MILITANT TRADE UNIONS!!!
mr. president do what you have to do and stop pleading. Let me ask you a question, are your children schooling in Nigeria? The answer is definitely NO. How can we attain vision 20:20:20 when our education system is down. what ASUU is asking of is for you to raise our educational system to world standard, according to the UNESCO 26% budget conglomeration, you are hear talking about vision 20:20:20 for Nigeria to be one of the most developed economies in the world, look at our educational system, its nothing to write about, no good democracy in your government, the judiciary is been used. The EFCC and ICPC is been used as a political weapon to seize those that don't support the government. Mr. presido i hail o, na ur boy from Bayelsa. Do the write thing make we go back to school abeg. Up ASUU….. ALUTA CONTINUA.. WE…. WEEEE….. WEEEE OH…… WAH!