The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to shut down all polytechnics in Nigeria by next week, if the Federal Government fails to meet up with its demands.
This is coming barely a month after the union gave an ultimatum to the Federal Government over their demands.
Some of the union’s demands include requests for revitalisation funds for the sector, payment of arrears of the new minimum wage, and the review of nomination instruments for institutions and management as well as programmes accreditation among others.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUP, at the end of the union’s 102 National Executive Council meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, in March gave the government a one-month ultimatum.
In 2021, the union had suspended a 61-day-long industrial action after they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government.
At the end of its emergency congress held at Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, on Thursday, the ASUP Zone C, insisted that the Federal Government must meet up with its demands by May 4.
During the briefing, the Zonal Coordinator, Yekini Asafe, said because of the government’s failure to meet their demands, the union may be forced to resume the suspended industrial action.
He said the National Executive Council of the union has scheduled a meeting in Abuja on May 4, where they will take a decision on the strike.
Mr Asafe also said there has been a delay in the appointment of substantive Rectors at the federal polytechnic in Mubi, Offa, and Ekowe, in Adamawa, Kwara and Bayelsa states respectively.
He added that Kaduna Polytechnic and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, have also been operating without substantive rectors, despite the conclusion of the process for their appointments in the affected institutions.
“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 months suspension period of our industrial action, we are convinced that the extra window of one 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.”
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