The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-owned Universities (COPSUN) has described the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Emmanuel Osodeke’s approach to the issue of funding tertiary education as archaic, antiquated and impracticable anywhere in the world.
COPSUN also lambasted Osodeke for describing State Universities that are not on strike as “irrelevant and quacks”.
The ASUU president, while featuring on Arise TV ‘Morning Show’ recently called state universities; Osun State University, Kwara State University, Lagos State University and Kwara State University quacks.
In a statement by its secretary, Marcus Awobifa, Monday, COPSUN said the statement is ill-conceived and flagrant unconscionable.
According to the group, “the Pro-Chancellors of our State Universities and indeed members of the Council are distinguished and accomplished eminent persons who had served and still serving this Nation in many capacities.”
Continuing, the statement read: “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.
“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 the University system in Nigeria.”
