The Congress of University Academics has condemned what it described as “unfortunate and uncalled for” remarks by a leader of the Lagos Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, who referred to CONUA as a group of “charlatans.”
In a statement released by its national leadership and signed by the North-West Zonal Coordinator, Nasiru Yunusa, CONUA rejected the claim that the organisation had been “used and dumped” by Dr Chris Ngige, the former Minister of Labour under the administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
CONUA described the accusation as both misleading and incorrect.
The controversy arose after the Federal Government recently reconstituted a committee to renegotiate the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement, but notably excluded CONUA from the process. This exclusion was met with strong disapproval from CONUA, prompting the union to submit a protest letter requesting to be included in the committee.
According to Yunusa, ASUU’s Lagos Zone Coordinator, Prof Adelaja Odukoya, in a report published by Nigerian Tribune online on Thursday, November 14, 2024, criticised CONUA’s position, stating: “They (CONUA) cannot leverage what they were in the past; what they are now is the ‘in-thing.’ So, they should wake up from their self-delusion as they have been used and dumped by Ngige.”
Odukoya further disparaged CONUA, saying, “Unionism based on opportunism and charlatanism will always end in disgrace and heartbreak. They should realize they have miscalculated. If they have any iota of shame or honor, they should not botch the idea of being included in the FG-ASUU negotiations in any form.”
In response, Yunusa expressed strong disapproval of Odukoya’s remarks, particularly ASUU’s apparent celebration of CONUA’s exclusion from the renegotiation committee.
The statement read in part: “CONUA had clearly articulated the rationale for seeking inclusion in the renegotiation committee, as the 2009 agreement was originally signed when ASUU was the sole representative of academic staff. The interests of all academics at that time were represented by ASUU, and this naturally extended to CONUA after it was registered as an academic union. Therefore, the issues to be renegotiated will directly impact CONUA members.”
Yunusa further emphasised that the absence of CONUA from the renegotiation process was an oversight on the part of the government. He expressed disbelief at ASUU’s attempt to celebrate the exclusion, noting that ASUU no longer represents all academic staff in Nigerian universities.
“It is baffling that ASUU, which purports to seek comprehensive solutions to the welfare issues in universities, would celebrate the exclusion of another academic union. If ASUU truly cares about the welfare of all university staff, it should support inclusive negotiations, where all relevant stakeholders are represented,” Yunusa said.
He concluded by stating that ASUU’s claim that CONUA had been “used and dumped” was not only unfounded but also an insult to reasoned academic discourse. “Nothing could be more asinine than ASUU labeling CONUA’s legitimate success as being ‘used and dumped’. This is a betrayal of scholarly integrity and deep thinking.”