ASUP Vows To Continue Strike, Accuses Nigerian Government Of Insincerity

After yesterdays three hour meeting with the FG, ASUP's National Publicity Secretary, Clement Chirman has vowed to not stop their ongoing strike of over three months until the FG meets its demands.

The accusations The rowdy state of the meeting began when the NAPS president, Sunday Obonnaya, accused the federal government of neglecting students. Mr. Obonnaya also accused the polytechnic lecturers of using students to pursue their selfish interests.

“The union (ASUP) told us that both the FG and ASUP had met in 2009 for an agreement which the FG had not kept to their own side of the agreement. “We were also told that the union and the FG had met several times and that 13 demands were made. Out of the 13 demands, only four were picked by the FG to attend to which up until now is not yet attended to,” the student leader said

He accused the federal government of ignoring one of the demands, removal of the dichotomy between BSC and HND holders, which is central to students’ interest. He also accused the lecturers of only using the student angle to pursue their ‘selfish’ demands. “Please stop using the students as your bait for your own selfish interest because we are at the receiving end,” he told ASUP. “Besides I keep getting calls, when will the strike be over and even when it is over will this discrimination be over.

Please find a solution to it.” Mr. Obonnaya’s statement infuriated the ASUP delegation. The union’s president, Chibuzo Asomugha, said he wondered if the meeting was called by the Education Minister, Nyesom Wike, to embarrass the union before the media or to be insulted by the students.

“The agenda presented to us is altered. Because in the agenda given to us, we did not see the entry for remark by the NAPS president and we want to point out that we were invited to this meeting officially.

“I think we were invited for the media to see us dramatize and to be insulted by the students we teach because it was all over the press that the minster was meeting with ASUP and we came here out of the deep respect we have for the FG. “But if we are here for the student to insult us then I will say there is no meeting,” Mr. Chibuzo, who led the ASUP delegation said.

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