There was a mild drama on Saturday when the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) publicly rejected Berekete Family radio’s intervention to end the ongoing strike.
ASUU has been on strike since February and all efforts to make the public universities’ lecturers return to classrooms have not yielded results.
On Saturday morning, host of the radio programme, Ahmad Isah, popularly known as ‘Ordinary President’, invited ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, and his team, to explain to Nigerians the perennial problems and state why the union is still on strike.
Isah also said he had set up a special intervention bank account domiciled in TAJ Bank to raise funds for the union, with a view to ending the strike.
Apparently to convince ASUU to buy into the idea of the intervention, Isah publicly showed the N50 million cash donated by Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State.
Immediately the money was displayed, ASUU President frowned at the development, saying the Union should not be associated with such.
At that point, Isah threatened to discontinue the intervention and many Nigerians who phoned in during the programme described ASUU as ”insensitive”, reports Daily Trust.
Prof. Osodoke fired back at the presenter, demanding that the intervention be discontinued and money donated so far returned to the donors.
“Remove ASUU from that intervention fund, and discontinue the fundraising, people who have contributed should send their account details to refund their money,” he thundered.
Meanwhile, as requested by the ASUU President, the Brekete ASUU intervention has now been suspended. The accounts will be closed and the money returned to those who donated.
Details later…
