The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has called on the general public to hold the federal government and its agencies responsible for any strike it embarks upon over the unsatisfactory status of the implementation of the Union’s Memorandum of Action signed with the government in April 2021.
This was contained in a statement signed and made available to The PUNCH by ASUP’s Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi Yalwa, on Sunday.
He said that during the 101st Regular meeting of the National Executive Council of the Union held at the Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State, the report of the implementation of the Union’s MoA with the federal government was received and discussed.
Yalwa said that the Union’s NEC frowned at the government’s “lethargic approach” towards the implementation of some items in the signed MoA despite the 3-month suspension corridor granted by the Union.
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According to him, of particular interest in the items include the non-release of minimum wage arrears to staff of Federal Polytechnics and several State-owned Polytechnics, non-release of the approved N15 billion Revitalization Fund for the sector more than 3 months after the approval, non-commencement of the renegotiation of the Union’s 2010 agreement despite the reconstitution of Governing Councils, as well as the continued non-payment of salaries in several state-owned institutions.
He said, “The Union equally expressed its dismay at recent reports of infractions in the process of appointment of Principal Officers in Federal Polytechnics and some State-owned Polytechnics in disregard of extant provisions in establishment laws.
“The Union particularly noted the events at Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe where the process of appointment of Rector was flawed from inception leading to the shortlisting of unqualified persons; Federal Polytechnics, Offa and Mubi where the process has been tainted by the deliberate exclusion of qualified persons; as well as Federal Polytechnics Oko, Offa, Auchi, and Kaura Namoda where Council affairs are being relocated to the FCT without due consideration to the cost implication on the institutions, safety of staff and sensitive documents as well as general administration of the affected institutions.
