ASUU President is careless talker for saying universities not on strike are ‘quacks’, UNIOSUN VC replies Osodeke

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Adebooye.

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*Advises him to get educated

*All efforts of ASUU are political, religious, ethnic plots to cost APC 2023 election victory – Respondent

By KEMI KASUMU

 

“I will go sentimental here because that is what is happening. If not because of hate for this Muslim, Fulani man in power, why should ASUU at a time even super economies globally are badly hit by economic hardship want his government that came in 2015 at $30 per barrel of crude oil to be punished for not implementing an agreement reached with the union in 2009 by a government that operated with $140 per barrel? We are aware that this government of Buhari is not as indifferent as ASUU is painting it to be…”

 

The problem of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may have escalated beyond just the issue it has with the Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration to several others as its actions have now placed it as fronting for certain unpatriotic interests.

This came as President of the ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, reportedly ridiculed universities that are not on the same page with his union’s prolonged strike action by calling them quacks. Lagos State University, Osun State University and Kwara State University have continued to be in session while Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai had warned that, since ASUU has issues only with Federal Government and not Kaduna State Government, any lecturer that failed to resume work after receiving government salaries would be sacked.

Reacting to his “disgusting” comment, the Vice Chancellor, Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Professor Odunayo Clement Adebooye, reportedly described the President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, as a careless talker for saying universities that are not on strike are ‘quacks’.

Professor Adebooye said the state university has 481 full-time academic staff and among them, 387 are full-time Ph.D. holders, “this is not a quack.”

ASUU President, while featuring on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Thursday, called state universities; Osun State University, Kwara State University, Lagos State University and Kwara State University quacks.

According to him, “Kwara State University is not a member of ASUU. Osun State University was suspended from ASUU for misbehaviour. We are in court with LASU (Lagos State University) because they sacked all our executives more than five years ago. They were not part of this struggle.”

The UNIOSUN Vice-Chancellor responded to ASUU’s claim while answering questions from journalists at a press conference on Friday; announcing the approval and accreditation of the institution’s bachelor of medicine bachelor of surgery (MBBS) programme by the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (NMDC).

It will be recalled that UNIOSUN started the MBBS programme with the approval of the National Universities Commission in 2012. The programme was discontinued shortly after due to some operational challenges which led to the transfer of the enrolled students to Ukraine by the State Government to complete their programmes.

Professor Adebooye noted that the NMDC not only approved the MBBS programme but also increased the admission quota for the programme from 50d to 100 students.

“Between January and August 2022, our academic members of staff have demonstrated the “can do spirit” in research and they have excelled in this world of stiff but healthy competition for research grants. I am glad to inform you we have six grants amounting to about US$300,000 in the last 8 months,” he said this in his address during.

Meanwhile, while reacting to the ASUU president’s statement, the Vice-Chancellor said Osun state university takes very serious exceptions for having mentioned the institution as a quack university and demanded the withdrawal of the statement from Professor Osodeke.

According to him, the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUA), where ASUU President teaches, does not have UNIOSUN’s achievements.

“ASUU President should go and check my profile, I cannot preside on quack university. He has expressed his opinion and that is his, the University he teaches does not have our achievements.

“He was here this year and commended the quality of what he saw here, the infrastructure, only a few universities. Osun state university takes very serious exceptions for having mentioned the institution as a quack university.

“He shouldn’t talk about what he doesn’t know if he wants to continue being a true professor. A true professor finds facts and bases of whatever they say, he should get educated, I challenge him to get educated.

“Referring UNIOSUN as a quack university is a careless statement and not expected from ASUU President who is a professor; who must not make a statement without facts.” the VC said.

Respondent speaks

Commenting on the ASUU President’s comment and what he called deserving reply by UNIOSUN VC, a respondent, who said his name should not be mentioned, tagged the current ASUU a transgressor that works for no national but some ulterior motives of its sponsors.

He said, “If not part of what we complain about as egocentrism on the part of these ASUU leaders especially when they are led by some Southern university lecturers, what temerity should an ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke have to call universities accredited by National Universities Commission (NUC) quacks? That is declaration of Nigeria as a failed state. Is it?” He asked.

Continuing he said already the ASUU leaders have transgressed the boundary of their rights by wanting to force a sincere Federal Government to doing things it has no capacity to do.

“I will go sentimental here because that is what is happening. If not because of hate for this Muslim, Fulani man in power, why should ASUU at a time even super economies globally are badly hit by economic hardship want his government that came in 2015 at $30 per barrel of crude oil to be punished for not implementing an agreement reached with the union in 2009 by a government that operated with $140 per barrel?

“We are aware that this government of Buhari is not as indifferent as ASUU is painting it to be because, we have evidence they have been told several times to come to seat with the government and see why that agreement cannot be implemented now. The government is no doubt working and achieving successes in other sectors just like it has not left the education sector unattended to. Let an ASUU member counter me on this.

“ASUU started this crisis for itself and Nigerian leaders of tomorrow because they had no basis for going on strike when they did. What justification?! You complained about something that government had successfully implemented in all other sections of civil service administration such as TSA and IIPPIS. Government called you to the table but before the time of that sitting, you had gone on strike. Something must be fishing that is beyond normal.

“You claim the Nigerian education system is bad, yet, you keep convocating graduates, who have triumphed either in advanced studies or working sectors abroad. You should have yourself to blame if you are the only one that sees problem and other Nigerians do not see. Normally, education sector in Nigeria needs improvement. It is not to the extent of which ASUU claims it to be that it must now wants to hold the country into ransom because general elections are fast approaching.

“I have prediction, my faith may not support prediction but I must say, that APC will not lose the coming Presidential election because Nigerians are more eyes-open to ASUU hypocrisy and the many hypocrisies of some religious bigots who have been lobbying US senators to blacklist their country as nation lacking in religious freedom and where the president uses state armed forces to kill Christians.

“Now, they including ASUU and deliberately created ambush-based insecurity by some vested interest are a plot to make APC lose election. If they fail to stop the APC in 2023, and of a surety they will fail to stop the APC, Nigeria will be freed permanently because, like the Buhari’s Presidency has decided based on the labour laws, whoever will stay out of work will not be paid for the period and, I will suggest in addition that if ‘no work, no pay’ will not serve as deterrent enough, such workers shout be sacked. Many other Nigerians want to work patriotically,” he said.


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