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July 30, 2024
Vasue described his expulsion by the university as "unjust" and "a grave matter that has affected my life and future prospects as a student in Nigeria".
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has ordered the Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, to immediately recall its Political Science student, Lortim Philemon Vasue, who was expelled when he was in 400-level for making a post on Facebook.
Vasue was expelled for posting about the eight months strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2022.
The House Committee led by Hon. Mike Etaba, ordered the university to allow Vasue to graduate without any victimisation.
SaharaReporters had in July 2023 reported that Vasue was expelled for making a post on Facebook about the eight months strike embarked upon by members of ASUU in 2022.
Between March and June 2022, Vasue made posts on his Facebook page including one that says, "ASUU has always been of the notion that the Federal Government isn't funding Federal Varsities; so why would the ASUU allow Accreditation of Federal Varsities to go successfully even as the prerequisites for granting accreditation which is adequate facilities were not in place only for the body (ASUU) to reverse after accreditation has been given to say the FG isn't funding same varsities they made sure it scared through accreditation."
He also cited an example where a team from the National University Commission (NUC) came to his school for accreditation and asked a student if the school had Wi-FI (Campus Area Network) and the student said yes even though they had none in the school at the time.
The university while announcing Vasue’s expulsion said that he is guilty of "circulation of unverified information via social media".
Vasue described his expulsion by the university as "unjust" and "a grave matter that has affected my life and future prospects as a student in Nigeria".
He lamented suffering for “exercising my fundamental right to express my position on the ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities) strike of 2022."
SaharaReporters had also reported that a House of Representatives member representing Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency of Benue State, Asema Achado, had in a petition called on the House of Representatives for speedy intervention by considering his petition and ensuring justice as well as fairness by reinstating Vasue to safeguard his academic future.
Responding to Achado’s petition, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps, Benjamin Kalu, directed that the petition be laid to the House Committee on Public Petitions for urgent consideration.
Vasue told SaharaReporters that upon his official apology to the institution, the school management decided to waste his future by expelling him, adding that before his expulsion, a particular lecturer in the university had continued to give him carry-over in his course.
After hearing from both Vasue and the university management, the House Committee decried the institution’s action.
The chairman of the committee said, "Upon that the young man has made an official apology to the University, why would the Management go on to expel a final year student for just expressing himself?
“He is a Nigerian, and the Committee shall not allow any citizen to be victimised in any way."
The Committee said that there was no need to expel Vasue, as he had tendered an official apology to the university, ordering the university to immediately recall Vasue and allow him to graduate peacefully.