By Sani Garba Mafara
_ “The ASUP Chairman says the union leapfrogs from reckless spendings, huge debt with scant revenue” _
The chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata Mafara Chapter, Zamfara State, has challenged Congress members to enact laws that will reduce the debt taken on by the union’s executives during their term of office, putting a greater burden on the incoming executives.
This unfolded during the union congress, dubbed as the “Transparency and Accountability Congress,” which is the final congress that elected executives have to attend in their capacity as chapter executives.
According to Mr. Muhammed Jangebe, “The need to make by-laws to restrict executive from financial recklessness and undue spendings without recourse to the constitution of the union should be a thing of the past, considering how the debt has become the bane of progress of our chapter.”
The chairman of the ASUP further stated that “we want to move developmentally, but the level of debt is on the rise, which consumes the union, leaving only its nose outside for unease survival.”
According to Article 7.07 of the union’s constitution, “subject to the provisions of this constitution, any chapter shall have the power to make up a byelaw for the smooth conduct of its internal affairs.”
The chairman further said the objective was to prevent the executive from taking on enormous debt that cannot be repaid in the given two years, leaving a debt trap that will eventually prevent any current executive from taking on new projects and force them to continue paying off the debt they inherited year after year.
However, regarding successes recorded during the led Murtala Muhammad administration, congress members were pleased to see that, for the first time in the chapter’s history, the financial statement showed “no debt, no liabilities” and a credit balance in the union account.
However, Congress members were thrilled to find that, for the first time in the chapter’s history, the financial statement showed “no debt, no liabilities,” and a credit balance in the union account during the led Murtala Muhammad administration.
The union’s Treasurer, BLDr. Ibrahim Jekada, praised the chapter chairman’s efforts, proclaiming, the union is much more in motion now having an enthusiastic leader like Murtala Muhammad Jangebe made the chapter benefit from support from the union’s national wing to service debt, this indicated the kind of good rapport that existed between the chapter and the national body.
