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| Snapshot of Campus Catch's Facebook update [source: Facebook] |
Mazeed Mukhtar Oyeleye writes,
Mixed reactions continue to trail a viral update on the ongoing ASUU strike shared by Campus Catch NG on its Facebook and Twitter handles. The update, which hints that school will resume on June 17, was premised upon the testimony of one Chinaza Okehie, who claims to have gotten assurance from the Admissions officer of his university, the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
PEN Press gathered that before noon on Saturday, June 4, 2022, Campus Catch NG, a self-acclaimed 'Nigeria's No. 1 Campus Forum', aired an update on its Facebook page, which had over 122,900 followers, as of June 6, 2022.
The update reads,
#Resumpton:
"I fully believe Campus Catch now.
"I was speaking with my school's admission officer today and he said that this strike will be called of next week and school will be resuming by June 17 and they'll try round up one semester in one month to be able to attend to last year JAMB aspirants."
... Chinaza Okehie [Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto]
#campuscatchng
PEN Press learnt that at precisely 12:31 pm, Campus Catch shared the same update on its Twitter page, where it has almost 9900 followers as of June 6, 2022; however, with neither of the hashtags.
As of June 6, 2022, PEN Press noted that the Facebook post had generated over 4000 reactions, 650 comments and 50 shares. PEN Press also noticed that copies of the update have also been shared widely across social media. Concurrently, the tweet received over 155 likes, 15 retweets and 20 comments.
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| Snapshot of Campus Catch's Twitter update [source: Twitter] |
PEN Press also observed that social media was abuzz following the update, and users shared their opinions regarding the news.
Isah Kakanda, a Twitter user tweeting @IsahKakanda, confirmed the news in a reply tweet.
"some of us already know it," he wrote.
Another Twitter user, Original Lastborn, who tweets @Iamolawaley, disagreed with the update.
"Not possible for UDUS to round up a semester within a month. I trust my school. Such would never happen!." he wrote, replying to Campus Catch's Twitter update.
"E no make sense na
"Why will they call off strike next week and then resume June 17
"Well nevertheless I also do believe that strike will be called off next week," a Facebook user, John Watchful, commented on the update.
"Please disregard whatsoever information campus catch is floating here. Go and learn skills, FG and ASUU is not thinking of calling off strike soon. Take this advice and have peace now and always.", Ben Agadaga, another Facebook user, reacted to the update.
THE CLAIMS
According to Campus Catch, the update they shared is the testimony of a Chinaza Okehie.
The update purported that the named source spoke to the Admissions Officer of his school, the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, who assured them that the strike would be called off within the 'next week', referring to the one starting on Sunday, June 5, followed closely by resumption on June 17, 2022.
Similarly, the update asserted that the Admissions Officer of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto reportedly said that the university would round up one semester in one month to be able to attend to last year's JAMB aspirants.
FINDINGS
Upon investigating the 'I fully believe Campus Catch now' clause, PEN Press found that the testimony affirms an earlier update published by Campus Catch at 4:10 pm on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
The Facebook update that got over 4200 reactions, 840 comments and 59 shares, reads,
#Resumption: Don't be taken unawares. Take a step of faith: Iron those clothes. Polish those shoes. Dust those books. A good news is coming next week.
While the update is vague, PEN Press discerned that Campus Catch's followers expressed discontent over the update and its credibility. The testimony of the so-called Chinaza Okehie, on the other hand, supports Campus Catch's claim.
Unfortunately, We's efforts to ascertain who the so-called Chinaza Okehie is, who he spoke to and the details of their discussion have proven abortive. On the afternoon of Sunday, June 5, Campus Catch insisted that they will only share their source's contact if and when he consents. Unfortunately, follow up attempts have yielded no result as they ignored subsequent moves to contact them.
On the other hand, the Admissions Officer of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Shehu Abubakar, denied speaking to the so-called Chinaza Okehie, insisting he does not have access to the information the named source reported him to have disclosed.
"I don't know. I am not aware [of the things the source said]. I do not know where he got the information," the Admissions Officer told PEN Press over a phone interview.
Furthermore, in an exclusive interview with Professor Yusuf Saidu, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Development) of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, he assured PEN Press that the statement regarding the university is dubious.
"The senate decides resumption and other academic activities, and it [the university senate] has not met. In addition, there is no way the senate will approve a one-month semester! By definition, a semester has a minimum of 12 weeks for lectures before exams period. Anything less than that may not be considered a semester," he explained.
THE VERDICT
PEN Press finds the claim that the Admissions Officer of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University said the school would resume on June 17 questionable as he denied speaking to Campus Catch's named source, Chinaza Okehie.
PEN Press also concludes that the statement regarding the school's resumption and reported calendar modification, howsoever they came about it, is false.
Thus, the update and the claims therein are false.
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