Due to Wednesday’s killing of top member of the union, Prof. Festus Iyayi by a car in the convoy of Governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada, the National Executive Council of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its meeting originally scheduled to hold today in Kano State.
This announcement coincided with the Federal Road Safety Corps’ blaming of the governor for the accident, despite initial denials by his aides that his convoy was responsible.
Some of the aides had said the vehicle in which the Prof. Iyayi was travelling was attempting to dodge a truck when the accident happened and that the governor had assisted with the ambulance in the convoy.
But Huhuonline. com learnt from Government House sources that the car in the convoy that rammed into the one in which the ex-ASUU boss was travelling was supposed to be the last car in the convoy. It was learnt that, for no reason, the driver ran out of the convoy and tried to overtake the other vehicles. This was how he ended up killing Professor Iyayi and injuring other occupants of the vehicle, which somersaulted about three times.
The NEC meeting has been cancelled and postponed indefinitely over the saddening incident, according to National President of ASUU, Nasir Fagge, who announced this on Wednesday.
It was learnt that the failed portion of the road was awarded during the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo and that nothing had been done on it since then. Sources told Huhuonline.com that there have been several deaths resulting from accidents on that portion.
The sources from the Kogi Government House further said this recent incident would be the fourth in one year involving the governor, who has not been himself since yesterday when the incident happened. They said two of such incidents had earlier been shrouded in secrecy.
Also, the Kogi Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) confirmed that the accident occurred as a result of wrongful overtaking by a vehicle in the convoy of the Kogi State governor.
Kogi State commander of the FRSC, Olakunle Motajo, said preliminary report by his commission showed that the accident was caused by a Toyota Hilux bus in Mr. Wada’s convoy, which made a “wrongful overtaking”, ramming into another Toyota Hiace bus belonging to the UNIBEN ASUU chapter in which Iyayi and two others were travelling in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has condoled with the government and people of Edo State, ASUU and the academic community over Iyayi’s death, describing him as a writer and dogged fighter for academic and social reforms who was incarcerated in1988 on the back of his education reform struggles.
“The late professor profoundly influenced progressive policies in the nation’s education sector and he will forever be remembered for his selfless service towards resolving the on-going ASUU government face off”, Amosun said in a release issued by his senior special assistant on media, Mrs Funmi Wakama.
“Indeed, the country has lost another brilliant mind and true patriot. He was on his way to the union’s National Congress to find a lasting solution to the lingering ASUU strike when he met his untimely death”.
Amosun prayed to God to grant the soul of the departed eternal rest, and his family and the academic community the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
