…accuses elites of destroying public education, healthcare services

By Gabriel Ewepu

A Coalition of individuals and organizations under the auspices of The People’s Alternative Political Movement, TPAP-M, yesterday, expressed support for the one month warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to press home their demands from the Federal Government.

This was signed by Prof Omotoye Olorode and Comrade Jaye Gaskia, of TRAP-M, Secretariat, where the coalition called on the Federal and State Governments to honour the agreements reached with ASUU in the interest of public education.

The statement reads in part, “The People’s Alternative Political Movement (TPAP-M), a Coalition of Individuals and Organisations wishes to declare total and unequivocal support for the current phase of ASUU’s struggle in defense of the Nigerian University System.

“In line with our commitment to galvanizing all organisations of Nigeria’s working people to protect pubic-purpose institutions and the rights of their members to descent wages and working conditions, TPAP-M stands side-by-side, and in solidarity, with ASUU!

“TPAP-M supports and calls for solidarity and support for the one month warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on the 14th of February, 2022.

“We use this medium to also call on the Federal and State Governments to honour the agreements they reached with ASUU in the interest of Public Education and the overall development of Nigeria.

“The progressive decline of funding of education and healthcare and the ominous privatization of both sectors in Nigeria has shown that the Nigerian ruling class wants to destroy public education and healthcare to the detriment of the ordinary Nigerian. TPAP-M also fully endorses the statement issued by ASUU on 14th February, 2022.

“In this particular regards, TPAP-M entreats ASUU to ignore the various categories of fifth columnists and sponsored agents of underdevelopment inside and outside the university system. ASUU must maintain its focus on this rescue mission!”

Meanwhile, the statement proposed the following: “That ASUU’s post-NEC Statement of 14th February 2022 needs to be mass-produced, and translated into Nigerian languages in all locations where there are public Universities and beyond;

“That the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branches and zones reach out to Students, their Parents/Guardians, Religious Organisations, Civil Society and the General Public via massive distribution of leaflets making time to actually talk to these social bases about the issues raised in these leaflets.

“Organise Radio/Television (Radio especially), and Town Hall talks on the content of the leaflets.

“The foregoing are required to actually enable the ultimate beneficiaries of ASUU’s struggles of many decades (the Nigerian Public) defend themselves and ASUU by assuming co-ownership of the struggles.

“This approach has been deployed in the past and would definitely work. Furthermore, by embarking on the foregoing, ASUU rank-and-file and our conscious Students will begin to know that Strike periods are not holidays, they are periods of mass mobilisation of the Nigerian people and self-education of ASUU members themselves.”

Also the statement assured that, “The People’s Alternative Political Movement (TPAP-M) is ready to work with ASUU across Nigeria to ensure that the necessary and enlarged social base is built towards rescuing the university system and the public education sector generally.”