Calls Grow for Sanwo-Olu to Bring Back LASU Lecturers after Seven Years

Seven years after Lagos State University (LASU) fired five lecturers, there are fresh demands for their return.

The lecturers, who were leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the school, are Isaac Oyewumi (chairperson), Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu (vice-chairperson), Anthony Dansu (secretary), Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan (assistant secretary), and Oluwakemi Aboderin-Shonibare (treasurer). They were dismissed during the university governing council’s 122nd meeting on 12 September 2019.

These five, known as the ‘LASU Five,’ were accused of taking and sharing confidential documents without permission.

Despite a recommendation from the governing council to bring back the fired lecturers, the state government and the university have not acted on it.

Renewed Call

The lecturers issued a statement on Saturday, calling their dismissal and the long wait unjust. They asked the state government to restore their positions without conditions.

Speaking for the group, Mr Dansu said they hold no anger or regret. He mentioned they remain dedicated to fairness, truth, and justice.

"Some disappointed (in some cases, the least expected persons); others, sent by God, appeared and gave even more than desired support. Such is the mystery of the journey; where men withdraw, Providence sometimes speaks," he shared.

Mr Dansu expressed confidence that their case “will end in praise.”

"Seven years is not the end of a story. Sometimes, it is merely the silence before the final chapter."

Refusal to Reinstate the Lecturers

In February 2022, the Governing Council of the university, led by David Sunmoni, decided to bring back the lecturers after an Appeal Committee, chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Adenike Boyo, cleared them of all charges.

But just 48 hours after this decision, the same council surprisingly put the lecturers' reinstatement on hold.

For the past seven years, the dismissed lecturers and various professional groups have protested in Lagos, demanding their return. In a 2025 appeal to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Concerned Sons and Daughters of Ikoga-Zebbe Kingdom in Badagry called on him to intervene. They asked him to “lift the embargo his government placed on the implementation of the decision of the LASU Governing Council on 23 February 2022.”

“...To the effect that our illustrious son Tony Dansu, and other four ASUU-LASU officials that were wrongfully and illegally dismissed from the services of the university in 2017 and 2019 be reinstated unconditionally,” the statement added.