Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami
ASUU lacks power to sanction FUTO over Pantami’s professorship – Lawyer
[From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakiliki]
Controversy surrounding the award of an honorary professorial degree to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mallam Isa Pantami by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), has deepened as an Abakaliki-based legal practitioner, Barr. Iheanacho Agboti, Thursday, said the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has no power under the Trade Union (Amendment) Act 2005 or any other law, to sanction the management of any university over award of professorship on any individual found worthy by the institution.
Mr Agboti who made this known in Abakiliki while briefing journalists on the alleged plans by ASUU to sanction the management of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) by ASUU for awarding professorship to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Pantami.
The lawyer berated ASUU for crossing it bound, insisting that it was only the university governing council that was bestowed with such power under Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2012 as (Amended) and it’s only admissible by the same council.
He said: “I’m a lawyer and the truth is that ASUU lacks the power under the Nigerian Trade Union laws to sanction the management of Federal University of Technology (FUTO) over the alleged illegality.
“ASUU is ignorant of the facts and this is worrisome. There is nowhere under the Trade Union (Amendment) Act 2005 (which is the legislation guiding the operations of all trade unions in Nigeria, including ASUU),that gives ASUU the power to sanction a University management for a supposed infraction.
“And the law guiding the affairs of all federal universities in Nigeria is the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions)(Amendment) Act 2012.
“Under this law, a university management can only be sanctioned by its Governing Council not ASUU”, he explained.
Agboti further called on the leadership of ASUU to retrace its step or face litigation.
ASUU had on Monday described the professorship granted by the institution to the Minister as illegal, threatening to sanction its members, including the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and others involved in the conferment of the professorship to the Minister.
