The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Prof Abayomi Fasina, has revealed that some elders in the academic community were already working to unite the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the Congress of Nigerian University Academics, CONUA.
Fasina stated that individuals rejoicing over the division in the rank of university academics in the country would soon be disappointed.
He made this revelation while delivering his speech at the leadership retreat organised by the FUOYE’s Division of Students’ Affairs in Ede on Monday.
The retreat has in attendance newly elected students’ union leaders from the university.
The FUOYE VC who maintained that the ASUU leadership must have picked valuable lessons in the crises that led to the formation of CONUA, added that diplomacy rather than confrontation should have been the approach.
“I know that ASUU has also learnt from this (division). We must be diplomatic and not be too rigid in our approach. The lesson is that we don’t need to be rigid. Listen to other people’s opinions, don’t be confrontational because other people are also looking.
“As a family, we don’t need to destroy ourselves. A situation whereby because somebody did not listen to your opinion, you want to fight that person, you don’t need to do that.
“As a family, you must be united. Once you are united, nobody will come in to destroy you. But I can assure you, this matter of ASUU and CONUA will come back. It is a matter of time.
“I know some people are happy that ASUU has been split into two, but they should not rejoice too long. By God’s grace, the elders are working to see how they can bring the two together.”
Fasina also commended President Bola Tinubu for ordering the removal of federal tertiary institutions from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS.
DAILY POST recalled that President Bola Tinubu last week directed that Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education be removed from the IPPIS.
The Presidential directive is also coming as relief for the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who had been at loggerheads with the Federal Government over the IPPIS.
ASUU had maintained that the IPPIS was against the clamour for autonomy for the ivory tower in the country.
