By Rotimi Ojomoyela, Ado-Ekiti

VICE Chancellor, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, (FUOYE), Prof Kayode Soremekun, has said the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, needs a complete overhaul in order to be more effective.

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Prof Soremekun made this known when a delegation of the union from the national headquarters led by its National Vice President, Comrade V.E. Osodeke, visited to appeal to the university management over the suspension of the former FUOYE Branch, Chairman, Comrade Gabriel Omonijo.

“Nigeria needs ASUU, ASUU needs Nigeria but ASUU must reform itself.  In time past, ASUU chieftains have strong moral pedigrees and are always truly representatives of their Congresses. You dare not touch them. However the reverse is the case now. Anyone who is a chieftain can now be sacked,” he said.

Continuing, Soremekun, who at a time was an ASUU activist, said the strength of ASUU lies in its Congresses while also regretting the disconnection between the leaders and members of the body.

“Today ASUU leaders are disconnected from the people they claim to lead, and this is very unfortunate”.

On the request of the delegation that suspended ASUU chairman be pardoned and reinstated, the   Vice-Chancellor said the suspended officer has taken the case to the Governing Council and that he could only help convey their plea to the Council.

He said it was unfortunate that some people were acting in manners that would rubbish the integrity and the name the union had built for itself over the years.

“We have three academic unions in this university. We have ASUU led by Dr Adubiaro, we have C-ASUU, where C stands for “Concerned”, and then we have Congress of University Academic (CONUA). All these are ASUU breakaways and it’s not good”, he said.

Vanguard