THE two-week ultimatum issued by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to the Federal Government to address lingering issues in the nation’s public polytechnics will soon elapse.
With the deadline approaching, some lecturers are supporting the ASUP national executive council’s plan to direct members to down tools should the government fail to meet the union’s demands.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, October 23, ASUP Zone D coordinator, Iloma Richard, said the government was yet to address the union’s concerns.
“The strike was suspended to create the necessary environment for the speedy resolution of all contentious issues through the stakeholders’ engagement process.
“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 said.
The ICIR reported that ASUP announced an ultimatum from October 7 to October 25, 2024, for the federal government to meet its demands.
The union’s national president, Shammah Kpanja, while outlining the unresolved issues in federal and state polytechnics, said one of the key issues was the alleged breach of the Federal Polytechnics Act and other related laws, particularly regarding the appointment of key administrative officers.
He also called the government’s attention to its failure to review the schemes of service for polytechnics and update the conditions of service for polytechnic staff, as well as the delay in disbursing the second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment intervention funds, among others.
Addressing NAN on Wednesday, the union’s Zone D coordinator warned that if the disregard for quality control in polytechnic education continued, it would lead to the collapse of technical and vocational education in the country.
“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.
“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.
Multimedia journalist covering Entertainment and Foreign news