Former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and Chairman of the Joint Action Front, JAF, an umbrella body for pro-labour civil society organisations, CSOs, Dr Dipo Fashina, was never missing, a former scribe of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Owei Lakemfa, has disclosed.
Lakemfa, who is also a columnist and rights activist, dismissed social media report that the retired Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ife, Osun State, lecturer was missing, saying: “A person whose whereabout we knew, could not have been missing.”
In a statement entitled “A bit of clarification is necessary on former ASUU President, Dr Dipo Fashina,” Lakemfa said: Dr Fashina travelled on Sat July 1, 2023 on the invitation of the Algerian Government. He missed the connecting flight on Sunday July 2 to Algiers from the Istanbul Airport. He tried to get another connecting flight but was unsuccessful.
“On Tuesday, July 4, he lost his phone and could subsequently not be reached directly. The next day, Wednesday, July 5, a Nigerian Ambassador was with him, but efforts to get a ticket reissue or a new ticket, failed because the flight was full.
“His original return date to Abuja was Friday July 7, 2023. But for yet unclear reasons, which may include the fact that he did not complete the first leg of his journey and his ticket was issued by Air Algiers and not directly by the Turkish Airlines, he could not get on the flight.
“Once he was not on that Friday night flight, his family, ASUU and comrades took immediate steps, including to send somebody to Istanbul, contacting the Diaspora Commission and the Nigerian Embassy in Turkey, which immediately despatched an official on Sunday morning to link up with Dr. Fashina and secured a Monday, July 10, 2023 (today) flight for him.”
