The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called on the political class in the country to study and emulate the Union’s style of electing leaders.
ASUU made the call through its Bauchi Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Timothy Namo, while speaking with journalists at the University of Jos branch after the Union’s newly elected President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, was presented to the Congress of his chapter.
He said, “Our leadership process is very transparent. I want to challenge the Nigerian electoral system to come out and study our electoral system.
“If we get to the point we are in ASUU, then we should be able to get good leaders emerging from any electoral process in this country.
According to him, “You can’t just become an ASUU leader without going through the rudiments of leadership from the branch to the national level; you cannot just become an ASUU leader because you think it’s your birthright.
“You must be known in ASUU, you must have made sacrifices to the Union, and you must be known from the rank and file of ASUU, from the branch to the national level, not like the Nigerian system that if you have money, you become a leader.
“In fact, if you come out and say you want to be a leader in ASUU, you are disqualified; you have to be identified based on your pedigree,”;; he explained.
On the challenges awaiting the new President of the Union, Namo said, “We went on strike in 2022 for eight months. Those issues have not been resolved.
“They have been handed over to him; he has to find a way of getting those issues resolved. The members are still agitating, restive; and the economic atmosphere in Nigeria is demoralising,”;; he decried.
“We have to find a way of making sure that the government of this country listens to us and addresses the problems bedeviling the University system in the country.
Also speaking, the chairperson, University of Jos Branch of ASUU, Prof. Jurbe Mwolwus, said, “We’re here for the special congress of ASUU University of Jos to present the brand new President of our great union (Prof. Chris Piwuna) to the branch, who is one of us from the branch, who has served the branch and served at the national level.
He acknowledged that the newly elected President has served at various committees meritoriously and the union across the nation.
“The last NEC decided to overwhelmingly elect him to emerge as the president to lead the union in the next two years.
“As a branch, it is historic, because nobody from this branch has ever attained this position, and so we are happy to have this historic event today to present him to our Congress and to have some session of words of encouragement and advice for him.
“That is why we are here, and we are happy about the turnout; you can see from the turnout that it’s a warm welcome for the son of the branch back home,”;; he maintained.
According to him, “Our expectation is that he will continue to exemplify the characters for which he is known.
“Prof. Piwuna is a very honest and truthful person; he’s also a very fearless and courageous person.
“He’s also a very emotionally intelligent person, and so we expect nothing but good results from this combination of character in one person,”;; Mwolwus explained.
“We believe that he will consolidate on the gains and progress made by his predecessors, and we expect nothing but the best,”;; he stressed.
