- No plan to ban ASUU – FG
The management of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) has berated the president of Academic Staff of Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Emmanuel Osodeke for referring to state universities as ‘quack school’ over their refusal to join the on-going strike action.
President of ASUU, Professor Osodeke during an interview session on Arise Television lambasted Kwara State University, Lagos State University, Osun State University and others for not joining the union’s struggle by calling them ‘quack schools’.
Meanwhile, Uniosun management through the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Clement Adegbooye during a press conference held in Osogbo campus on Friday, expressed dissatisfaction over the comment made by Professor Osodeke.
Professor Adegbooye disagreed that Uniosun is a quack school citing that the institution has won several international grants, collaborated with Havard University, has 387 PhD degrees holders as academic staff lecturing in the school and got a nod to run programmes that is very difficult for federal varsities to run.
He urged Osodeke to get educated so as to speak with facts instead of talking carelessly.
According to him, “Some federal universities have been struggling to get accredited for courses we are running, that shows that we are committed to excellence.
“We take exception to the statement made by Osodeke referring to Uniosun as a quack school. This university has a profile of having done what other universities have not done in 14 years of its existence. This university has 481 full time academy staff, out of them 387 of them are PhD holders.
“For a university to have collaboration with Havard University, and win several foreign grants including Canada, Germany, Norway and many more, that means we are not a quack university.
“Osodeke should not be careless with comments, he is just a Nigerian, he should not talk about what he doesn’t know. A true professor find fact, which he has not done, he should get educated. “He should try to be educated. I challenge him to get educated, for referring to Uniosun as quack school. Please help me to tell him that he should get educated, we are educated here. He has senior colleagues in schools he referred to as quack school.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Friday said there was no plan to proscribe the Academic Staff Union of Universities as a trade union.
Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, said this in an interview with The Nation on Friday.
This was also confirmed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige.
Speaking on the alleged plan to proscribe ASUU, Ngige said: “I don’t know about that. It is not on the table before me so I have no opinion on it for now?”
The director of press added: “As far as I know, the Federal Government doesn’t have any plans to ban ASUU as a union.”
There were reports on Monday that the government was planning to proscribe ASUU.
The report also said the government was planning to register a splinter group, Congress of University Academics (CONUA) to clip the wings of ASUU.
Although CONUA has applied for registration, the government has refused to honour the application since 2020.
Goong told our reporter that the government wasn’t moved by the university lecturers’ threat to turn their over six months strike into an indefinite strike.
Goong said as far as the federal government was concerned, ASUU is already on indefinite strike.
There are reports ASUU may turn its over six months strike into an indefinite one when the leadership of the union meets on Sunday during its National Executive Council meeting.
“ASUU has been on strike since February. People who have been on strike for over six months are threatening to go on indefinite strike. They are already on indefinite strike,” Goong said.
-Thenation
