COPSUN slams ASUU president for calling state varsities “irrelevant and quacks
Abimbola Abatta
The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-owned Universities (COPSUN) has slammed Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodike, for describing state-owned universities as “irrelevant and quacks”.
COPSUN noted that state universities cannot be forced or coerced to implement agreements reached between the Federal Government and workers in the Universities to which they are not parties.
The Committee of Pro-Chancellors registered its displeasure in a statement made available to journalists on Monday by the Secretary of COPSUN, Marcus Awobifa.
Recall that ASUU President, last Friday, on a television programme on Arise made the statement that has been met with disapproval from stakeholders.
Consequently, the Committee revealed “That the Pro-Chancellors of our State Universities and indeed members of the Councils are distinguished and accomplished eminent persons who had served and still serving this Nation in many capacities. Amongst the members are retired Ambassadors, retired Generals in the Armed forces, retired Vice-Chancellors, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, renowned politicians and other distinguished professionals. It is therefore insulting, contemptuous and unbecoming for the President of ASUU to state that these esteemed individuals are presiding over quack
and inconsequential Universities.
“It belies belief that the President of ASUU does not realise that his loquacious vituperation and obsolete stalinist, centralised, unpopular approach to the issue of funding of tertiary education in a modern globalised world is archaic, antiquated and impracticable anywhere in the world.
“COPSUN believes that this is an auspicious time for ASUU to creatively work with all stakeholders to tinker out a compromise that will bring back to the campuses the young men and women who have been insensitively thrown out of the universities for the last six months.
“COPSUN wishes to appeal to the President of ASUU to realise that the membership of ASUU is voluntary. Therefore, it is not his ill-informed
approach and denigration of state universities that will lead to fashioning out creative approaches to avoid existential extinction that
will solve the myriad of problems confronting University system in Nigeria.”
The statement issued by the COPSUN further reads that “the very unfortunate ill digested view of the President of ASUU has vindicated the position of this Committee on the following issues:
“(a) The negative professionalisation of offices of the Unions that operate in our Universities and the unserious believe among many members of the Unions that the Unions are superior to the Councils of the Universities that are their employers.
“(b) The need for immediate democratisation of the membership of Unions in the universities to the extent of the freedom of any individual to belong to a Union with options of not belonging.
“(c) Devolution of powers on the issues of labour, wages and salaries with freedom of the employers to negotiate with their employees,
as it is practiced in other parts of the world, where we borrowed the University system.
“(d) State Universities cannot be forced or coerced to implement agreements reached between the Federal Government and her
workers in the Universities to which they are not parties.
“(e) It is time to respect the Federal nature of our government in all matters and not selectively, especially on the issues of salaries and wages.”
