EDUCATION

ASUU reelects Osodeke as president, other officers

May 22, 2023

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reelected its National President, Emmanuel Osodeke, a Professor of Soil Science, for another three-year term of office.

Mr Osodeke who succeeded Biodun Ogunyemi, also a professor, in 2020, is now set to run the union’s affairs of the union of lecturers of Nigeria’s universities until 2026.

This is as other members with the exception of one of Mr Osodeke-led National Executive Council (NEC) have also been reelected for a new tenure of office.

Mr Osodeke, who confirmed the development to PulseNets on Monday, said the “union would soon issue an official statement.”

The election took place at the weekend during the union’s National Delegates Conference at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), in Plateau State.

Meanwhile, this newspaper learnt that only the union’s Welfare Secretary, Stella-Maris Okey, was not reelected. She was replaced by Aisha Bawa of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

Union officers

Mr Chris Piwuna, an Associate Professor at the University of Jos, was reelected as the Deputy National President, while Ade Adejumo, a professor at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, was appointed as Financial Secretary; Siji Sowande, another professor at the Federal University of Agriculture (FUNAAB) also retained his position as Treasurer. Adamu Babayo, also a professor, was reelected Internal Auditor.

The union also reelected Austen Sado as Investment Secretary.

ASUU

Founded in 1978, ASUU is the largest union of academics in Nigeria but is famous for its unending industrial dispute with the Nigerian government.

In 2022, the government made an effort to break the union’s monopoly of influence on labour activities in Nigerian universities with the recognition and registration of two more academic unions — the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) and the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA)— “to operate side by side” ASUU on the campuses.

Also Read: Over 70% Nigerian Foods Rejected Abroad — NAFDAC

The new unions were registered in October 2022 when ASUU was in the middle of an eight-month strike that stalled activities in all Nigerian public universities.