“Like I said earlier, strike is an option for us, it is not declared by the President, it is declared by the national executive council of ASUP, and by the time we hold our meeting, and we present our report, if NEC decide we should go on strike, then, we’ll but we will not be going on strike in solidarity with ASUU, we are going on strike because of our own challenges not in solidarity with another union.We will be going on strike because of our own challenges and we will design our strike on our intervention. Our strategies on what we want to achieve not because another union went on strike or the way other union are going on strike. Every union design their own strategies in a way as to favour their own demands because the demands are entirely not the same”-Ezeibe.
By Daniel Njienue, News/interview, February 18, 2022.
The National President of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, (ASUP), Comrade Anderson Ezeibe has noted that strike remains an option for any vibrate union, stating that, the current ongoing warning strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities is not only eminent but a right to pursue in all ramifications. He made this known in a telephone interview with our Editor-in-chief, Mark C. Orgu, at the early hour on Thursday during the week. He also stated that, ASUP cannot go on solidarity strike with ASUU because both does not agitate directly the same struggle.
“It is not about solidarity, every Union have their own issues. Our union have their own issues, so we cannot be going in solidarity strike with other union when we have our own issues. Every union have their own problems. We as a union, if we go on strike it is because we have our own challenges not in solidarity with other union that have their own also”
Ezeibe however argued that the government keeps deceiving the masses that there are no sufficient fund. “Yes, the fund is never enough, but the issue is about the priority you place, and then; what is the scale of preference you have and the available funds? That is what we should be asking because it is not just about the availability of funds but the usage appropriately. Now, if the State or Federal government are busy buying Toyota Prado Jeeps all over the places and you buy about a 100 pieces and at the same time you are owning state workers, does it make any sense, no, it is a misplaced priority. Government prefers to ride in glory and make workers lick on their sore”
Asked why Institutions remain reluctant in research induction but always in the course of demanding for sufficient fund, the ASUP leader responded that research is about adequate resources, pin pointing that, the reasons Institutions fail to produce quality product is because of government deliberate negligent in providing grants for research. “What has the government put in to aid research works, if you enter a Polytechnic and there are no laboratories where you are supposed to carry out a research, water cannot rush, just ordinary water, then, what kind of research are you expecting. If you enter the laboratory and there is no power supply, what kind of research are you expecting without water and light in the Lab, certainly, total, failures. So, there’s no alternative to sustainable funding.
On internal generated revenue
There’s nothing like institutions are making it through Internal Generated Revenue (IGR). We have to put things in proper perspective, If you tell me that some institutions are making it through internal generated revenues, I am expecting you to talk about private Universities and private Polytechnics and that is because they are not getting any funding from the federal government, then you talk about the differences in the school fees between the government institutions like University of Lagos and private institutions like that of Covenant University.
If it is your school fees, those things are not internally generated revenue. As a matter of policy, these are dues in school known as service charges If a student pays for medical service, you think it is an internally generated revenue, you pay for your ID card, you think it is an internally generated revenue. All these things go to the TSA-the single treasury account of the federal government. So, where is the internally generated revenue that you’re talking about. If you are talking about the recent activities, what infrastructure has the government put in place to aid research works in the institutions or do you think it is the responsibility of the researchers or lecturers to put things in place for research findings such as light, water, chemicals for research works or to conform on the society to do so.
Reasonable government all over the world fund Institutions but in Nigeria, government prefers luxury life to what will better the society. Like I said earlier, strike is an option for us, it is not declared by the President, it is declared by the national executive council of ASUP, and by the time we hold our meeting, and we present our report, if NEC decide we should go on strike, then, we’ll but we will not be going on strike in solidarity with ASUU, we are going on strike because of our own challenges not in solidarity with another union. We will be going on strike because of our own challenges and we will design our strike on our intervention. Our strategies on what we want to achieve not because another union went on strike or the way other union are going on strike. Every union design their own strategies in a way as to favour their own demands because the demands are entirely not the same.
The fact remains that the government has not fulfill all the agreements signed. The next issue is that for us as leaders we will be having our meeting next month in Match. When we get to that meeting, we will present our report, and it is the duty of the national executive council to impact or come up with a resolution on what to do next. And if their decision is for us to go on strike, certainly we will.
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