The management of three state universities, Kwara State University Malete (KWASU), and its Kaduna and Ekiti counterparts- KADU, EKSU- have berated the president of the nation’s academic body, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for its alleged description of the universities’ staff as “quacks and irrelevant”
The universities in separate statements on Friday reacted to statements credited to Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke in his recent media outing on the ongoing strike by the association.
Osodeke branded KWASU and KADU, among some other state-owned institutions in Nigeria, quacks and irrelevant for refusing to join the industrial action.
The Director, University Relations, Dr Saeedat Aliyu, said the Kwara State University was founded on the vision of advancing the frontiers of knowledge for the good of society and not as a quack university as Osodeke maligned.
”KWASU Management considers these statements as undeserving of an academic of Prof. Osodeke’s purported status.
”One who should know better than to denigrate institutions of higher learning for one reason that is unrelated to any factor used to measure the standard of institutions anywhere in the world.
”His statements are tantamount to bullying, they are reckless, uncalled for and a denigration of the status he occupies as national head of the union of academic staff in Nigeria,” Aliyu said.
She added that KWASU was the first public university in Nigeria to extend higher education curriculum to include equipping students with entrepreneurship skills to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
”KWASU is also the leading university which focuses on communities with the aim of solving challenges they face while helping to develop these communities.
”Currently, we are the only university in Nigeria going green in her thinking and activities as proactive measures to save the environment.
”All these reflect in our mantra of ‘the green University for Community Development and Entrepreneurship’.
”Again, we are the first institution in Nigeria to mount Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering as a forward thinking move to develop human capacity for the nation’s aeronautic and astronautic needs,” she said.
The director explained that many of KWASU’s ideas are being replicated by many other institutions which Osodeke eulogised in his uncritical statements.
She added that KWASU has all of its academic programmes accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and requisite professional regulatory bodies.
”As an institution founded barely thirteen years ago, KWASU has made a name for itself as a University which focuses on breaking new grounds,” Aliyu said.
She, therefore, called for a retraction of what she described as an abominable statement and a published apology to KWASU forthwith from Osodeke.
According to her, the institution will not be quiet in the face of slanderous accusations made against its very existence and contributions.
The Kaduna State University on her part said ASUU’s alleged description of the university staff as “quacks” was enough reason for its academic staff to pull out of the Union.
A statement signed by KASU PRO, Adamu Bargo for the Acting Vice Chancellor in Kaduna, described the statement as “irresponsible, unguarded, misleading and derogatory”.
He said resuming academic activities, as their good conscience in KASU dictated, would never have been a reason for the institution to be insulted and stereotyped.
Bargo explained ‘quack’ as meaning a person who dishonestly claimed to have knowledge and skill in some field with little or no foundation.
He noted that for the benefit of hindsight, KASU as a new generation University and the second most-sought state-owned University and the fastest growing in Nigeria, was established 18 years ago with eminent scholars like Prof. Idris Abdulkadir and Prof. Abubakar Rasheed as the pioneer Council members.
“The scholars/administrators made sure appointments of qualified lecturers were never compromised and the foundation, ethical determination to sustain same remained the basic principle of engaging academic and non-academic staff,” he said.
Bargo said that KASU was recognised by NUC as a standard University and had some of the best brains competing favourably with their counterparts around the globe.
“The world’s number four best polymer chemist is in KASU and our lecturers have attracted grants both locally and internationally and are highly rated.
“KASU graduates are rated among the best in the world and enjoying scholarships from different parts of the country and the globe.
“KASU has members in ASUU, and it is unfortunate if the union’s President is saying that they are quacks, while enjoying monthly check-off fees from their salaries.
Bargo expressed discontent, saying that the highest stage of irresponsibility was insulting fellow colleagues in the academia.
He noted that leadership in the academia is about mutual respect and mentoring while also living by good example.
He asked why the ASUU President failed to mention Ambrose Alli University, where he came from, which had also pulled out from the strike long before KASU management decided to resume academic activities, in spite of the strike.
Bargo restated the claims ASUU went on strike to be rejecting IPPIS for UTAS, noting that KASU had nothing to do with how other employees were paid in a country where education is on the concurrent list.
He said the release of funds to revitalise the infrastructure of the universities, which was also a reason for ASUU strike, was being determined by the economy and income of government and not by any strike.
“Also, the release of the White Paper on Visitation Panels, has nothing to do with state universities and KASU should not stunt its progress in a protracted strike that is becoming unreasonably insensitive.
“When ASUU in KASU joined the strike in 2019 and government paid the 40 per cent salary for work done for the month, ASUU National did virtually nothing positive beyond ranting for the outstanding 60 per cent which had not been paid till date,” Bargo said.
He called on academic staff on strike in KASU to reason and be more concerned with their university and people than the attitude of their leaders that labeled them as quacks
For the management of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Osodeke’s outbursts, it said were “reckless and unwarranted”
In a statement signed by the Head, Directorate of Information & Corporate Affairs, Bode Olofinmuagun, EKSU stated that Osodeke’s comments denigrated state-owned
The school management noted that EKSU could not be called quack or irrelevant since it had been ranked among the top 14 universities in the country and second among state universities.
The statement reads in part, “The Management of EKSU views this denigrating remark about some universities, coming from the National President of ASUU as unfortunate, reckless and unwarranted.
“Ekiti State University, Ado- Ekiti is currently the 14th best university in Nigeria out of about 200 universities (Federal, State & Private) and the 2nd best State University according to the recent Webometric ranking of universities.”
“Does this not give good reason for every reasonable academic staff in the University to pull off from the Union for this labeling and stereotyping?” The statement concluded.
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