Claim that 10 UNILORIN lecturers have died this year due to ASUU strike is INCORRECT

 

ABDULRASHEED Hammad writes,

The Claim

On Friday, September 9, 2022, a tweet circulated on social media, claiming that 10 lecturers at the University of Ilorin have died this year because of the Academic Staff Union of the Universities' (ASUU) ongoing strike. 

A Twitter user, Oludayo Sokumbi tweeted under the username @Oludeewon, claiming that 10 lecturers have died in UNILORIN this year. He connected their deaths to the ongoing strike embarked upon by ASUU. 

“I just spoke with one of my lecturers who taught me in 200 and 300L in LAUTECH. He told me to help him look for a post doc position ANYWHERE. He wants to move. He said 10 lecturers in Unilorin already died this year. I almost cried. When will ASUU call off this strike?” his tweet read.

The post on Twitter had 619 likes, 126 retweets, and 10 quote tweets at the last check.

The viral tweet

This screenshot of the claim was also shared on WhatsApp status to confirm the authenticity of the claim.

A screenshot of the claim as shared on WhatsApp status

PEN PRESS UDUS Findings

In an interview with PEN PRESS UDUS, the UNILORIN Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof M.T. Yakubu, debunked the claim of the alleged death of 10 lecturers in UNILORIN this year, noting that if there will be death, it has nothing to do with the ongoing ASUU strike. 

He, however, noted that he hasn't heard anything like that, directing this reporter to the Chairman of the ASUU, UNILORIN chapter, for further verification. 

While speaking with PEN PRESS UDUS,  Prof Ajao Moyosore, the Chairman of ASUU in UNILORIN, also discredited the claim, noting that they haven't lost up to 10 lecturers as claimed by the Twitter user. He added that the death of the few lecturers that have died this year in UNILORIN has nothing to do with the ASUU strike.  

“That is not true, please. No doubt that we have lost colleagues to the cold hands of death, but none of the deaths could be traced to the strike. It is not correct, we haven't lost 10 people. Although we lost only four of them, those that we lost are not up to 10. If we have lost 10 people, is the university not going to be panicking?” he inquired rhetorically. 

Verdict

PEN PRESS UDUS can conclude that the tweet claiming that 10 lecturers have died in UNILORIN this year due to an ongoing strike by ASUU is INCORRECT. 

Also, the viral claim that 10 lecturers have died this year in UNILORIN is INCORRECT.