Dr. Fashina, the former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Chairman of the Joint Action Front (JAF), an umbrella organization representing pro-labor civil society organizations (CSOs), has been confirmed as not missing, according to Owei Lakemfa, a former scribe of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and a columnist and rights activist.
Lakemfa refuted the social media reports claiming that the retired lecturer from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), located in Ife, Osun State, was missing, saying: “A person whose whereabout we knew, could not have been missing.”
In a statement titled “A bit of clarification is necessary on former ASUU President, Dr. Dipo Fashina,” Lakemfa provided an update on Dr. Fashina’s situation. According to Lakemfa, Dr. Fashina embarked on his journey on Saturday, July 1, 2023, after receiving an invitation from the Algerian Government. However, he encountered an issue when he missed his connecting flight from Istanbul Airport to Algiers on Sunday, July 2. Despite his attempts to secure an alternative connecting flight, he was unable to do so.
“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 reissued 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 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 sending 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.”
