Members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Sunday elected the immediate past vice-president of the union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, of the Soil Science Department, Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, as the new president of the union.
Osodeke, who took over from Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, was elected during a three-day conference of the union which held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.
Speaking with Daily Trust in a telephone interview, Ogunyemi expressed confidence that his successor would not disappoint ASUU members having been part of the union for years.
When asked about the challenges he faced during his two-term in office, the former ASUU leader lamented how the federal government reneged on any agreement signed by both parties during dialogue.
“ASUU members don’t like embarking on strike to press home their demands but the government always forces them to do so due to its (government) attitude towards implementation of agreements signed,” he said.
Daily Trust reports that other members of the union, who were elected alongside Osodeke, included Chris Piwuna of the University of Jos as vice president; Olusiji Sowande of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, as treasurer while Ade Adejumo, a professor from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, was elected as financial secretary.
Similarly, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Austen Sado, was elected as investment secretary; Adamu Babayo from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, was elected the union’s internal auditor while Stella-Maris Oke from Cross Rivers State University of Science and Technology, was elected as the new welfare secretary.
Ogunyemi will continue to serve in the new executive committee as ex-officio, in order to guide the new leaders
