ASUU President Professor Biodun Ogunyemi Leaves Office

ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, has left office as leader of the union.

Gistsmate media gathered that the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, has delivered his valedictory speech to mark the end of his three-year tenure as the leader of the union.

The ASUU President delivered the speech at the conference of the academic body held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

Prof. Ogunyemi thanked the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and others, noting that 30 ASUU members died of COVID-19 and other issues during his three-year tenure.

According to some trusted media outlets, Professor Ogunyemi’s successor is expected to emerge at the Awka conference on Sunday.

The ASUU President said, “In line with the provisions of our constitution, we are here to review our activities in the last three years with a view to charting a new course at this critical juncture of our national life.

“As a point of departure, we must place on record that COVID-19 did not spare our campuses.

“Many of our infected members had had to combat the COVID attack with resources from colleagues and other people of goodwill because their salaries and emoluments, as well as the union’s check-off deductions, were either withheld by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation over the rejection of the discredited Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

“Our other comrades suffered the same fate in the hands of overzealous State University Vice-Chancellors and Visitors. As a matter of fact, we lost at least 30.”

Ogunyemi added, “In the last three years, ASUU has enjoyed tremendous goodwill from quarters too numerous to mention.

“Despite being a government official, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund has never denied his training in ASUU and the role played by the Union in midwifing the intervention agency,” the ASUU President stated.

The conference’s lecture titled, ‘State Terrorism and Nigeria’s Development’ was delivered by Prof Akin Oyeboye of Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG).