Don’t Step Into The Admin Block 1 Of LASU Or The Senate Building If You Don’t Want To Die (Read What Happened)

DON’T step into the Admin Block 1 of
the Lagos State University (LASU) or the
Senate Building if you don’t want to die!
That is the message that those who laced
the place with charms sought to deliver
with their frightening deed. Since then
fear has pervaded the 32-year-old
institution in the past six months.
The Admin Block 1, which houses the
office of the Vice Chancellor, Prof John
Obafunwa, other principal officers and
registry staff has been deserted for over
six months over alleged juju scare. This
is the second time under his
administration that juju was reportedly
placed on the Admin Block and Senate
Building.
On a good day, the Admin Block 1 was
the busiest office on the campus and has
the highest human traffic, mainly staff,
students and visitors entering and
coming out. It is a one storey building
located near the Badagry Expressway
gate of the university.
The Senate Building, which faces both
the Admin Block 1 and 2, has also been
abandoned in the past six months for
the same reason forcing meetings of the
Senate to be held at the Lagos State
University College of Medicine
(LASUCOM).
In the last six months, the Admin Block
1 and the Senate Building have been
made to look like a ghost town because
of desertion by the Vice Chancellor, Prof
John Obafunwa, principal officers and
other staff over fear of being harmed by
fetishes left in the area.
The trouble started on Monday, March
16, 2015, when the staff unions chased
out the VC, his two deputies, the
Registrar and other senior management
staff out of the campus.
Less than 24 hours after the protest, the
university workers asked the former
Governor, Babatunde Fashola, to
appoint an acting VC, adding that they
have ‘sacked’ the vice chancellor. The
staff unions also demanded for a
Visitation Panel.
The next day after the protest, congress
of the three staff unions at their
different meetings banned Prof.
Obafunwa from entering the campus,
accusing him of maladministration and
several other offences. Loyalists of the
VC fought back and condemned the
action of their colleagues, insisting that
Obafunwa should be allowed into the
university to carry out his duties.
After the ugly incident, the Admin Block
1 and the Senate were locked and since
then no staff including the principal
officers and even the campus security
personnel had gone near the building.
The 32-year-old institution may have
made history as the first tertiary
institution whose VC has not set foot on
campus for over six months because of
the prolonged face-off with the workers
who have vowed not to allow him into
the university.
Fear of what happened to other workers,
who some years back tried to force open
the Admin and Senate blocks, also made
security personnel and those loyal to the
embattled VC not to open the two iron
gates. Rumours about staff who were
struck by strange illness when they
tried to enter the buildings previously
has made the place a no-go area.
For days, some staff were placed on
‘special duty’ by the unions to monitor
the locked Admin and Senate blocks
even as the workers gathered under a
tree to continue with their celebration
over the banishment of the VC and other
top management from the campus.
Investigation reveals that several
attempts were made by the immediate
past governor to smuggle the embattled
VC into the campus but the main
problem was that nobody wanted to go
near the Admin Block 1 and the Senate
Building because of fear of the juju.
Even the NANS and LASU students union
that demanded for the VC’s return to the
main campus were not bold enough to
go near the dreaded spots. They
restricted their protest around the two
gates.
When our correspondent visited the
campus, it was evident that the Admin
Block and Senate Building has not been
used for several months, as the
surroundings were overgrown with
weeds. It was gathered that members of
staff of the university also avoid the
place for fear of bad omen.
Further enquires revealed that registry
staffs, whose offices were located in the
Admin Block 1 and the Senate Building
have been temporary relocated to other
offices. The VC, Prof Obafunwa, has been
using his personal office at LASUCOM,
while Senate meetings were held at one
of the halls in LASUCOM.
Efforts by our correspondent to find out
who laced the Admin Block and Senate
Building with juju proved abortive as
the Director, Centre for Information,
Press and Public Relations (CIPPR), Mrs.
Ronke Osho was said to have started her
retirement leave from the services of the
Lagos State government.
The chairmen of ASUU, SSANU and
NASU claimed ignorance of the juju. But
some union members dared the students,
state government and Obafunwa’s
loyalists to open the gates.
“The unions will not stop them from
going to open the Admin Block 1 and the
Senate Building, but they know the
consequences,” a staff who wishes to
remain anonymous, explained. “Those
who tried it some years ago know what
happened.
Even the VC and his loyalists know the
implications of going to open the gates
by force.’
It was gathered that before the gates of
the Admin Block 1 and Senate Building
would be opened for use, certain rituals
would need to be performed in the
night.
The new Pro Chancellor and Chairman,
Governing Council, Prof. Adebayo
Ninalowo told Education Review that he
and his members are working hard to
restore peace on campus. He said they
met the staff unions and students unions
recently.
Obafunwa’s tenure would end on
October 31 and staff unions have
already started a countdown for him
with two big banners placed at the two
gates of the university. announcing how
many days are left of his
administration.