Professional-chancellors of state-owned universities condemn ASUU president’s ‘insulting’ remark

The Committee of Professional-Chancellors of State-owned Universities (COPSUN) has reacted to the remark by the President of the Educational Workers Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodike, that some universities are ‘quacks.

Mr Osodeke had said throughout a tv programme that some universities that suspended the union’s extended strike aren’t members of his union.

However the remark has been criticised by state-owned universities.

COPSUN’s response

In its response, COPSUN, the physique of the chairpersons of governing councils of state-owned universities, mentioned Mr Osodeke’s ‘denigrating’ feedback towards state universities won’t proffer options to the continuing strike.

The assertion by its secretary, Marcus Awobifa, mentioned ASUU ought to use its time to map a means out of incessant strikes “which are crippling the Nigerian public college system.”

It added that the state universities have as its members of council, people of reputation who’ve served the nation in several capacities.

The assertion reads partly: “Amongst the members are retired Ambassadors, retired Generals within the Armed forces, retired Vice-Chancellors, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, famend politicians and different distinguished professionals.

“It’s due to this fact insulting, contemptuous and unbecoming for the President of ASUU to state that these esteemed people are presiding over quack and inconsequential universities.”

COPSUN appealed to Mr Osodeke “to understand that the membership of ASUU is voluntary.”

“Subsequently, it’s not his ill-informed method and denigration of state universities that can result in fashioning out inventive approaches to keep away from existential extinction that can remedy the myriad of issues confronting the college system in Nigeria,” it added.

‘ASUU’s funding mannequin unpopular’

COPSUN mentioned the ASUU president’s method to school funding is “unpopular and archaic.”

It added that state universities can’t be pressured or coerced to implement agreements reached with the federal authorities, particularly one which state governments aren’t occasion to.

“The President of ASUU doesn’t realise that his loquacious vituperation and out of date stalinist, centralised, unpopular method to the difficulty of funding of tertiary schooling in a contemporary globalised world is archaic, antiquated and impracticable wherever on the planet,” it mentioned.

It added that Mr Osodeke’s feedback has vindicated the place of COPSUN on points together with “the detrimental professionalisation of workplaces of the unions that function in our universities and the unserious perception amongst many members of the unions that the unions are superior to the Councils of the Universities which are their employers.

READ ALSO: One other Nigerian College defies ASUU, reopens regardless of ongoing strike

“The necessity for speedy democratisation of the membership of unions within the universities to the extent of the liberty of any particular person to belong to a union with choices of not belonging.

“Devolution of powers on the problems of labour, wages and salaries with freedom of the employers to barter with their staff, as it’s practiced in different elements of the world, the place we borrowed the College system.”

Background

Mr Osodeke, a professor, was responding to questions on Come up Tv on Thursday on the impression of the federal government’s “No work, No Pay” rule on the schools and whether or not it’s chargeable for the suspension of the strike by some universities.

He mentioned: “If you find yourself offering information, have a look at the background. Kwara State College shouldn’t be a member of ASUU, Osun State College was suspended for its behaviour, you’ll be able to verify. LASU, you talked about; we’re in court docket with LASU as a result of they sacked all our executives 5 years in the past so they don’t seem to be a part of this battle and Ekiti State College’s authorities has the proper to say now we have reopened simply because it has occurred in Gombe State College, Yobe and Kaduna State College.

“So, don’t cite these examples as (if) they’re irrelevant. Discuss concerning the challenge, is the College of Ibadan on strike? Is the College of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) on strike? Is Ahmadu Bello College (ABU) on strike? Is Bayero College Kano (BUK) on strike? Is Maiduguri College on strike and the College of Lagos? Let’s discuss actual universities, not these quacks.”

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Occasions in partnership with Report for the World which matches native newsrooms with gifted rising journalists to report on under-covered points across the globe