There was partial compliance with the two-week warning strike declared yesterday by the national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).
While many Federal and state-owned polytechnics complied with the warning strike, some did not embark on the action or were still consulting to decide on what to do.
In Kaduna State, academic activities were grounded yesterday on the four campuses of the state’s polytechnic in compliance with the national body’s directive.
Our correspondent who visited the main campus of the Federal institution in Tudun Wada and the College of Business and Management Studies (CBMS) at Ungwar Rimi areas of Kaduna, observed that lecture rooms were empty and only a few students and non-academic workers were seen around.
The strike also partially paralysed business activities around the campus as the students were not around.
Speaking with The Nation, the Chairman of the Kaduna Polytechnic’s chapter of ASUP, Abubakar Jibrin Abdullahi, said the strike followed the resolution reached at the 112th NEC meeting of ASUP to withdraw the services of all academic workers across Nigeria’s polytechnic system.
He said the Kaduna Polytechnic chapter of the union fully supported the strike.
The ASUP chairman said the action was meant to protest the “Federal Government’s continued failure to honour its commitments, as outlined in the work plan agreed upon during our last meeting with the Federal Ministry of Education and other stakeholders on October 23, 2024”.
He added: “The issues leading to this industrial action include, Number One: Impunity in Rector Appointments; Violations of the Federal Polytechnics Act in appointing Rectors at Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, and Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, as well as the failure to appoint a Rector for Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu.
“Despite the National Industrial Court’s ruling, the Federal Government has neither reviewed these flawed processes nor held erring Governing Councils accountable.
“Number Two: Non-review of schemes of service. The contentious and suspended Schemes of Service for Polytechnics and Conditions of Service remain unresolved.
“Number Three: Non-release of the 2023 NEEDS Assessment intervention funds.
“Number Four: The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) continues to interfere with the Academic Boards’ statutory functions concerning the admission of Higher National Diploma students,” he said.
The union leader also alleged that the Federal Government failed to ensure the inclusion of peculiar academic allowance for sustained payment in the planned post-IPPIS era as one of the key reasons for the strike.
Credit : thenation
