The Vice-Chancellor, Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Professor Odunayo Clement Adebooye has described the president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Emmanuel Osodeke as a careless talker by referring to universities not on strike as ‘quacks’.
Professor Adebooye said the state university has 481
full-time academic staff and among them, 387 are full-time Ph.D. holders, “this
is not a quack.”
ASUU President, while featuring on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning
Show’ on Thursday, called state universities; Osun State University, Kwara
State University, Lagos State University and Kwara State University quacks.
According to him, “Kwara State University is not a member of
ASUU. Osun State University was suspended from ASUU for misbehavior. We are in
court with LASU (Lagos State University) because they sacked all our executives
more than five years ago. They were not part of this struggle.”
The UNIOSUN Vice-Chancellor responded to ASUU’s claim while
answering questions from journalists at a press conference on Friday;
announcing the approval and accreditation of the institution’s bachelor of
medicine bachelor of surgery (MBBS) programme by the Nigerian Medical and
Dental Council (NMDC).
It will be recalled that UNIOSUN started the MBBS programme
with the approval of the National Universities Commission in 2012. The
programme was discontinued shortly after due to some operational challenges
which led to the transfer of the enrolled students to Ukraine by the State
Government to complete their programmes.
Professor Adebooye noted that the NMDC not only approved the
MBBS programme but also increased the admission quota for the programme from
50d to 100 students.
“Between January and August 2022, our academic members of
staff have demonstrated the “can do spirit” in research and they have excelled
in this world of stiff but healthy competition for research grants. I am glad
to inform you we have six grants amounting to about US$300,000 in the last 8
months,” he said this in his address during.
Meanwhile, while reacting to the ASUU president’s statement,
the Vice-Chancellor said Osun state university takes very serious exceptions
for having mentioned the institution as a quack university and demanded the
withdrawal of the statement from Professor Osodeke.
According to him, the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture
Umudike (MOUA), where ASUU President teaches, does not have UNIOSUN’s
achievements.
“ASUU President should go and check my profile, I cannot
preside on quack university. He has expressed his opinion and that is his, the
University he teaches does not have our achievements.
“He was here this year and commended the quality of what he
saw here, the infrastructure, only a few universities. Osun state university
takes very serious exceptions for having mentioned the institution as a quack
university.
“He shouldn’t talk about what he doesn’t know if he wants to
continue being a true professor. A true professor finds facts and bases of
whatever they say, he should get educated, I challenge him to get educated.
“Referring UNIOSUN as a quack university is a careless
statement and not expected from ASUU President who is a professor; who must not
make a statement without facts.” the VC said.
“ASUU President should go and check my profile, I cannot
preside on quack university. He has expressed his opinion and that is his, the
University he teaches does not have our achievements.
“He was here this year and commended the quality of what he
saw here, the infrastructure, only a few universities. Osun state university
takes very serious exceptions for having mentioned the institution as a quack
university.
“He shouldn’t talk about what he doesn’t know if he wants to
continue being a true professor. A true professor finds facts and bases of
whatever they say, he should get educated, I challenge him to get educated.