“As we speak, our members are still owed for 10 months,” ASUP Zonal coordinator says as he hinted at union plan to resume a 61 day long industrial action it suspended on the 10th of June, 2021
Barring last minute change, Nigeria’s Polytechnics will be shut next week Thursday, Platforms Africa has exclusively gathered.
The strike might resurface if government refused to honour agreement reached with the union after one month ultimatum that will lapse on Wednessay, 4th of May, 2022
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) has already scheduled a press conference to take place at Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo on Thursday 28th April, 2022, where issues about the industrial action will be discussed.
Platforms Africa reports that the government Universities in Nigeria have been shut since February 14 due to an industrial action by university lecturers’ union (ASUU).
Zonal coordinator of ASUP, Yekini Nureni Asafe, told Platforms Africa that the government has been grossly unfair to members of the union who are lecturers of Polytechnic students, saying “as we speak, our members are still owed for 10 months.”
READ ALSO: Varsity Students To Remain At Home As ASUU Mulls Strike Extension
Why Strike won’t end now: ASUP opens up to Nigerian Poly Students, Parents
10 Year-Old Chrisland Pupil Breaks Silence on Sex Scandal
Baba Keji: Oyo Palace Servant Who Saw Beginning, The End Of 3 Alaafins
Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III: A King, His Will And Widows
A press release to be read by Asafe at the press conference obtained by Platforms Africa added that the Union may resume a 61 day long industrial action it suspended on the 10th of June, 2021 after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the government as regards the union demands.
Here below is the statement;
PRESS RELEASE ON UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
MEMORANDUM OF ACTION SIGNED BETWEEN ASUP AND THE
GOVERNMENT: ASUP MIGHT RESUME ITS SUSPENDED STRIKE
Members of the press and general public,
This press conference is called to re-echo the position of our Union as presented to the media by the national President Comrade Anderson Ezeibe at the regular National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting held at Federal Polytechnic, Mubi in Adamawa State between Monday 28th – Thursday 31st March, 2022.
– You may recall that our Union suspended a 61 day long industrial action on
the 10th of June, 2021 after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
with the government as regards the union demands.
– The suspension of the industrial action was for a period of 3 months which
was principally in consideration of appeals by students and members of the public, and also to enable the government conclude processes already
initiated in the direction of fulfillment of the terms of the memorandum of
action.
– Ten (10) months after the suspension of the industrial action and seven (7)
months after the expiration of the three-month period of suspension, it has
become pertinent to provide the public with details of our ordeal as a sector
in the hands of the government.
READ ALSO: Varsity Students To Remain At Home As ASUU Mulls Strike Extension
Why Strike won’t end now: ASUP opens up to Nigerian Poly Students, Parents
10 Year-Old Chrisland Pupil Breaks Silence on Sex Scandal
Baba Keji: Oyo Palace Servant Who Saw Beginning, The End Of 3 Alaafins
Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III: A King, His Will And Widows
– The critical aspects of the memorandum of action remains unimplemented
despite several appeals and correspondences from the leadership of our
union.
The items still pending include:
1. Non release of the approved revitalization fund for the sector: It may
interest the public to know that following the industrial action, the
President of the country approved the sum of N15Bn as the first tranche
of funds to address the decay in infrastructure in the sector. This approvacame seven years after the NEEDS Assessment report of 2014 which recommended an injection of over N800Bn to address the alarming deficit
in infrastructure. Unfortunately, the approval of this paltry sum which has been further eroded by inflation is yet to be released to the sector 9 months
after approval.
2. Non release of arrears of the new minimum wage: The new minimum
wage Act has been in implementation since April 2019, with a further
directive by the President of the nation that staff of ALL ministries,
departments and agencies of the government should be paid the accrued
amounts by December 31st, 2019. The government has reneged in this as
the arrears accruing to staff of federal polytechnics remain unpaid more
than 2 years after the expiration of the President’s directive and nearly 3
years after implementation.
READ ALSO: Varsity Students To Remain At Home As ASUU Mulls Strike Extension
Why Strike won’t end now: ASUP opens up to Nigerian Poly Students, Parents
10 Year-Old Chrisland Pupil Breaks Silence on Sex Scandal
Baba Keji: Oyo Palace Servant Who Saw Beginning, The End Of 3 Alaafins
Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III: A King, His Will And Widows
As we speak, our members are still owed for
10 months. In addition, the several states of the federation have blatantly
refused to implement this Act their own institutions. As a consequence,
the government has continued to withhold portions of the legitimate
emoluments of members of our union without their consent.
3. Non release of the reviewed normative instruments for
institution/management and programs accreditation: In view of the large
disparity in governance platforms, management practices as well as
conditions of service in the sector, our union agreed with the government
on the need to harmonize instruments for accreditation and reaccreditation
of polytechnics and colleges of technology to enforce appropriate
standards. These abuses are more prevalent in institutions under state
proprietorship as different state governments continue to establish polytechnics without provisions for funding, requisite governance
platforms and qualified management and teaching personnel. The overall
impact is seen in the production of half-baked graduates from our
polytechnics. Despite meetings with the government in this regard and a process initiated to produce this document, the government appears
lethargic in its disposition to enforce standards in the sector.
4. Sustained infractions in implementation of the provisions of the Federal
Polytechnics Act as amended in 2019: Following the signing into law of
the Federal Polytechnics Act as amended in 2019, implementors of the
Act including the Federal Ministry of Education, National Board for
Technical Education, some Governing Councils as well as managements of Polytechnics have developed the habit of observing some provisions in breach. Such infractions are manifest currently in appointment process for
principal officers in Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Akanu Ibiam Federal
Polytechnic, Unwana and Auchi Polytechnic. Despite the complaints by
our Union as well as a court judgement on respect for provisions of the
Act, incidences of disrespect continue to prevail as captured in the
instances cited above.
5. Delay in the appointment of rectors: We have continued to witness
avoidable delays in the appointment of rectors of some federal polytechnics. Federal Polytechnic Mubi remains without a substantive rector for over 2 years, Kaduna Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic Offa and
Federal Polytechnic Ekowe have also been operating without a substantive rector despite the conclusion of the process for appointment
of rectors in the affected institutions.
6. Non release of the scheme of service for Polytechnics: Since 2017, the sector has been struggling with a review process for the scheme of service
and conditions of service in use in the sector.
– Following exhaustive deliberations, on the issues as listed above, the 102nd
meeting of the Union’s National Executive Council has resolved to give the
government a further 1 month as an ultimatum to address the outstanding
issues as listed, or face a review of the suspended industrial action by our
Union.
– We are deploying this medium to equally appeal to members of the public to
prevail on the government to do the needful and avoid a shutdown of the
sector. In choosing to extend the long expired three 3 month suspension
period of our industrial action, we are convinced that the extra window of 1
month typifies our level of restraint and consideration for our students and
other members of the public even as we hope that the government will take
advantage of this opportunity to avoid a shutdown of the sector.
Our Union’s National Executive Council shall be reconvening after the 1 month
period which takes effect from 4th of May, 2022 for further decisions on this
subject.
Thank you.
Yekini N. Asafe
(Zonal Coordinator ASUP Zone)
