Plans To Ban ASUU Will Fail, Osodeke Tells FG, Says Ngige Is A Jester

The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, has told the Federal Government and its agents, including Labour Minister, Chris Ngige, to desist from all its plans to ban the union.

According to him, the academic union has its philosophy based on a worthy course for the progress of the country’s educational sector and its positive multiplier effects on every other area of the nation, adding that no matter what the plans are to proscribe the union, it will not work.

Tracknews reports that the ASUU president declared this while delivering his goodwill message at the special commemorative programme organised by the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye chapter of the union in Ogun state to honour the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Ganiyu Olatunde.

Osodeke noted that it’s rather unfortunate that the Federal Government is always envious of the union’s achievements at setting qualitative and enduring standards in the areas of infrastructural provisions and services, despite the insufficient funding of the education sector.

He added that Ngige was a jester over his efforts at proscribing ASUU, during the eight months strike.

“I can see why Ngige is interested in banning ASUU because once ASUU is proscribed, all the union’s assets automatically become the federal government’s property, even when the government is bereft of ideas to put in place, qualitative assets in the midst of sufficient funds at its disposal as done in the University of Ibadan, UniPort, the University of Maiduguri among other places.

“You will never succeed in banning ASUU because ours is a union that assesses the system and aligns with the worthy course without being biased for the progress of the Nigerian educational society,” the ASUU president added.

He, however, warned Vice Chancellors of public universities to desist from seeing themselves in the position of Chief Executive Officers (C.E.Os) of universities when in reality, they are just the first among their equals in the academic community.