The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ebonyi State University Chapter, Dr. Ikechukwu Igwenyi, has noted that universities owned by state governments in the country can not survive without aligning with the Union for intervention and other assistance.

Igwenyi who made this known during an interview with Newsmen in Abakaliki, Monday evening reiterated that the Ebonyi University chapter of ASUU had not pulled out of the ongoing strike ordered by the National leadership of the Union.

The Chairman noted that 98 percent of what the universities enjoyed today came from the ASUU struggle and through the intervention of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

Igwenyi stated that many universities have tried to separate themselves from ASUU before, but it didn’t work out. Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and the University of Ilorin tried it before but later ran back to its source of livelihood which is ASUU. 

He added, “Yes, people said EBSU is in session. But it's a lie. The authorities did that to deceive the students, so that those students can come and pay school fees for them (the authorities) to pay salaries. But after that, those students were left to their own fate. We didn’t pull out of the strike. We are still part of it and it’s still ongoing.

Igwenyi further noted that no State Government in Nigeria pays 100 per cent of the workers’ salaries, instead, workers’ salaries come mostly from the Internally Generated Revenue of the school.

“The best the state governments have done so far is to subvert the universities. In Ebonyi State University for example, the state government gives a monthly subsidy of N150 million and takes N30 million up front as tax, leaving the university with N119 million. How can such a university pay salaries when it needs to get over ₦260 million monthly to be able to pay their workers.”