The FG Has Not Addressed Our Demands, So.. __ASUP

If the Federal Government is yet to address the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) at deadline expiry what should Nigerians expect?

The union has, by itself, answered the question by saying that it had no other option than to embark on long-threatened strike.

It says it gave the BoLa Tinubu-led Presidency October 23, 2024 to respond to its requests for a new scheme of service for polytechnic lecturers across the country but that the government had failed to respond.

“The strike was suspended to create the necessary environment for the speedy resolution of all contentious issues through the stakeholders’ engagement process”, ASUP Zone D Coordinator, Dr Iloma Richard stated while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“Regrettably, as I speak, no progress has been made in this direction due to the obvious reluctance of NBTE.

“The union has also noted, with regret, a similar attitude of the government towards other welfare needs of the union’s members,” he added.

This is even as more lecturers have endorsed the ASUP National Executive Council’s position to mobilise members to withdraw their services once the ultimatum expired.

Richard also referred to what he described as alleged disregard for quality control in polytechnic education, warning that, if allowed to persist, it would lead to the collapse of technical and vocational education in the country.

The ASUP leadership said polytechnic lecturers in Zone D, comprising the South-South and South-East states, would withdraw their services once ASUP’s NEC issued such a directive.

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“This position has been articulated by our national leadership and formally communicated to all relevant authorities, with a subsisting 15-day ultimatum effective from Oct. 8.

“We shall not hesitate to swiftly mobilise our members from all chapters in the zone if, upon the expiration of the ultimatum, NEC directs any form of industrial action,” Richard added

Some of the issues in contention

1. Inconsistent provisions of the Federal Polytechnic Act and the Laws establishing state-owned institutions, particularly concerning the appointment of Principal Officers.
2. Delayed implementation of a 35 per cent and 25 per cent salary review for state-owned polytechnics
3. Release of arrears for federal polytechnics
4. release of a second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment intervention fund
5. Immediate capture of members’ peculiar academic allowance