FACT-CHECK: Did the Daughter of ASUU President Osodeke Graduate from a foreign university amid the strike?

FACT-CHECK: Did the Daughter of ASUU President Osodeke Graduate from a foreign university amid the strike?

CLAIM: A photo collage of the ASUU president Emmanuel Osodeke, alongside a variety of photos with people in academic gown in the collage recently surfaced on social media, claiming that it was the ASUU President daughter, Juliana Chidera Victor Osodeke alongside graduands who allegedly graduated from the University of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

FULL-TEXT: A combined picture of the ASUU President and his daughter, alongside graduands, reads: “This is Juliana Chidera Victor Osodeke, Emmanuel Osodeke’s 21-year-old last daughter who recently graduated from the University of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) led by its current President, Emmanuel Osodeke,  embarked on the strike on February 14th, 2022. It had then declared a four-week warning strike. But after a month, the lecturers extended it by eight weeks, saying the government needs more time to look at its demands.

Following the Federal Government and lecturers’ inability to reach a resolution, the union on May 9 further extended the strike by 12 weeks.

By August 2022, exactly six months after commencement, it extended the strike indefinitely.

The university teachers are seeking improved welfare, the revitalisation of public universities, and academic autonomy among others.

Several meetings between government representatives and ASUU have ended in deadlock.

VERIFICATION: Using social media search bar on Facebook, PRNigeria discovered that the early claim originated from a Facebook user by the name Ekiti Princess.

In the post, she on behalf of her “two daughters who are part of the 5Million Nigeria University Students” felicitated with “Miss (21) Julianah Chidera Osodeke the beautiful daughter of Comrade Dr Emmanuel Osodeke who recently graduated from The University of Chicago, Illinois US. We want to thank God and appreciate your daddy for his efforts at sending you to the United State for speedy completion of your course of study.”

She then concluded sarcastically by stating, “we equally use this opportunity to thank your Dad for his efforts and ruggedness on the ongoing ASUU National strike especially for keeping us at home with our parents the last seven Months for obvious reasons(salary increase). We appreciate you Sir, may the Lord reward you accordingly.”

However, a search on the official website of the University of Chicago revealed that its 536th Convocation with conferments of degrees on graduates, was held on the Main Quadrangle on Saturday, June 4, 2022 about three months before this post surfaced.

Meanwhile, attempts to access the Alumni directory of the institution proved abortive as it was only exclusive to staff, students and alumni with login credentials.  

PRNigeria then extracted the photos in the collage and ran reverse image searches on them. One of the photos with three girls and a male hugging each other in excitement was found to have originated from a photo on the Obama Foundation website.

Also, a reverse image search of the single photo purported to be Juliana revealed that it was actually that of Anita Osariemen Omonuwa from Edo-state, a Nigerian, who became the first black woman to graduate from the University of Reading UK with a first class degree as published in a report in December of 2014.

Meanwhile, several attempts by PRNigeria to speak to the ASUU president on the matter proved abortive as he did not answer call put to him nor respond to text messages sent.

CONCLUSION: Investigation by PRNigeria reveals that the lady purported to be Juliana Osodeke is actually Anita Osariemen Omonuwa from Edo-state, a Nigerian, who became the first black woman to graduate from the University of Reading UK with a first class degree December 2014.

Verdict: Based on the available facts gathered by PRNigeria, the claim that the daughter of the ASUU president has graduated from the University of Chicago, USA, is FALSE.