The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu’s government, demanding action on several pressing issues affecting polytechnic lecturers.
This deadline is set to expire on October 23, and ASUP has warned that failure to meet its demands will result in a strike.
As the deadline approaches, support for ASUP’s National Executive Council’s call to mobilize members for a potential withdrawal of services continues to grow among lecturers.
Iloma Richard, ASUP Zone D coordinator in Port Harcourt, expressed concern that the government has yet to adequately address the contentious issues outlined in the new scheme of service for polytechnic lecturers.
“The government has yet to address the contentious issues in the new guidelines,” Mr. Richard stated on Wednesday.
He reflected on the suspension of a planned industrial action on July 22, which was a result of the federal government’s intervention that mandated the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to review the disputed guidelines.
“The strike was suspended to create the necessary environment for the speedy resolution of all contentious issues through stakeholders engagement process. Regrettably, as I speak, no progress has been made in this direction due to the obvious reluctance of NBTE,” Richard added.
He also criticized the government’s approach to other welfare needs of the union’s members, indicating a systemic disregard for quality control in polytechnic education.
“If allowed to persist, it would lead to the collapse of technical and vocational education in the country,” he warned.
According to Richard, polytechnic lecturers in Zone D, which encompasses the South-South and South-East states, are prepared to withdraw their services should ASUP’s National Executive Council (NEC) issue such a directive.
“This position has been articulated by our national leadership and formally communicated to all relevant authorities, with a subsisting 15-day ultimatum effective from October 8,” he stated.
“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,” he added.
The contentious issues in the new scheme include delays in stakeholder engagement on the scheme of service, non-release of the stakeholders-validated condition of service for polytechnics, and inconsistent provisions of the Federal Polytechnic Act and laws governing state-owned institutions, particularly regarding the appointment of Principal Officers.
Additional grievances involve delayed implementation of a 35% and 25% salary review for state-owned polytechnics, release of arrears for federal polytechnics, and the demand for the release of a second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment intervention fund, alongside an immediate capture of members’ peculiar academic allowance.
The situation remains tense as the deadline approaches, with ASUP standing firm on its demands for the betterment of polytechnic education and the welfare of its members.
