27/08/2022
Assu update
Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, the president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has come under fire for referring to universities that announced resumption dates despite the union’s ongoing industrial action as “quacks.”
Responding to questions on an AriseTV interview on the impact of the Nigerian government’s ‘No work, No Pay’ rule on the striking university lecturers and whether it is responsible for some universities’ decision to suspend the strike, Osodeke said: “Kwara State University is not a member of ASUU, Osun State University was suspended for its behaviour, you can check.
"We are in court with LASU because they sacked all our executives five years ago so they are not part of this struggle and Ekiti State University’s government has the right to say we have reopened just as it has happened in Gombe State University, Yobe and Kaduna State University.
“So, don’t cite those examples as they are irrelevant. Talk about the issue; is the University of Ibadan on strike? Is the University of Nigeria Nsukka on strike? Is Ahmadu Bello University on strike? Is Bayero University Kano on strike? Is Maiduguri University on strike and the University of Lagos? Let’s talk about real universities, not those quacks.”
As a result, the management of Ekiti State University, in its response to Osodeke’s claim, rejected its categorisation among ‘quack’ universities, and demanded an apology from the ASUU chief.
In a statement by its Head of Directorate of Information and Corporate Affairs, Bode Olofinmuagun, EKSU viewed the comments as “denigrating, unfortunate, reckless and unwarranted.”
The statement further noted that EKSU is currently the 14th best university in Nigeria and the 2nd best state government-owned university, according to the recent Webometric ranking of universities.
It also reminded Osodeke that Biodun Oyebanji, the governor-elect of Ekiti, is an alumnus and a former lecturer at the university, and that a number of staff of EKSU “are still serving in various capacities” in ASUU.
Follow us for breaking news, videos, photos, and much more.
