Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP)
has threatened to resume a strike action it
suspended July 17 due to what it called
government's use of "divide and rule" tactics in
running tertiary institutions in the country.
ASUP President Comrade Chibuzo Asomugha in
a press statement said the union's suspension of
its strike was predicated on the understanding
that government was to meet certain obligations
which it has refused to fulfil till now.
While stressing that the union had "generously"
granted government one month, as against the
two weeks it demanded, he said two weeks after
the expiration of the deadline, the only obligation
which government has met in part is the
harmonization of the modalities for the migration
of the lower cadres of staff, stressing that
government has not been able to definitely
indicate where the attendant arrears will come
from.
Asomugha said other matters which are yet to
be settled are completion of the appointment of
governing councils in all polytechnics, release of
the White Paper on the Visitation to Federal
polytechnics, the review of the Federal
Polytechnics Act, the commencement of the
renegotiation of the FGN/ASUP Agreement due
since July 2012, and a Needs Assessment of
Nigeria's polytechnics and proper funding of
polytechnics.
The union lamented the "unfortunate stance of
government in adopting a divide and rule
approach to repositioning higher education in the
country. Lately, government's whole attention
has been focused on the university sector to the
total abandonment of the polytechnics and the
colleges of education."
He disclosed that ASUP may be forced to
resume its strike if government refuses to fulfil
its obligations
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