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The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) recently ended its 14-day warning strike, from December 2, 2024, to compel the federal government to address the lingering demands of the association. The calling off of the strike on December 14 had momentarily forestalled another indefinite strike that has characterised Nigeria’s higher education in recent years. Before embarking on the definite strike, the leadership of ASUP had stated that the action was necessitated by the inability of the government to resolve its 11-item demand.
ASUP President, Kpanja Shamnah, while briefing journalists at the end of its 112 National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, stated that one of the key demands of the association was for the federal government to address the alleged impunity in the appointment of the rectors of some federal polytechnics, which, it said, bypassed standard procedures and contravened the Federal Polytechnics Act. According to him, “the sordid display of the Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, in the appointment process of a new Rector, and the appointment of a Rector in Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, without following due process were cited as recent examples of these breaches,” he said. The association also queried the non-review of the contentious and suspended ‘Schemes of Service for Polytechnics’ and the non-release of the NEEDS Assessment intervention funds for 2023.
Other demands included the stoppage of the intrusion of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) into the regular functions of the Academic Boards of Polytechnics in the admission of Higher National Diploma (HND) students in the Nigerian Polytechnic System. It was also dissatisfied with the non capture of the peculiar academic allowance of members for sustained payment in the planned post IPPIS era; refusal of most state-owned polytechnics to implement the 35/25 per cent salary review for members and non release of the arrears of the same in federal polytechnics, among others. The union subsequently embarked on a two-week strike, which was called off on December 14.
Most of the ASUP demands were in order. We support anything that would enhance the educational advancement of Nigeria at all levels. Education is very vital to the sustainable development of every nation. The greatest nations in the world are those who invested heavily in education. Scientific and technological advancement are vital in the 21st century, and this one area Nigeria is yet to catch up with the rest of the world. Polytechnics education serves as the foundation for any nation’s scientific and technological development. Polytechnics education helps in the industrialisation of any country. Countries with diverse industries have become the biggest economic giants in the world.
We commend the ASUP leadership and the federal government for suspending the warning strike. Nigeria cannot afford an indefinite strike by ASUP at the moment. Apart from disrupting the academic calendar, any strike in the polytechnics will affect the parents and the students, as well as the economy of the country and its technological development.
Shammah Kpanja said the union suspended the strike following a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, leading to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with a caveat that another meeting would be held on January 23, 2025, to resolve the trade dispute. We urge the federal government to dialogue with ASUP and amicably resolve all contentious issues, just as it has done with the demands of ASUU. We laud the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in making ASUP suspend the warning strike.
While we acknowledge the vital roles played by the universities in the educational and socio-economic development of any nation, the government should also not neglect the important roles of the polytechnics in the scientific and technological development of any nation. Polytechnic graduates are equipped with certain skills which their varsity counterparts do not possess. Nigeria’s unemployment record is frightening.
The federal government should urgently address it by investing so much in technical colleges, vocational centres and polytechnics, which offer self-employment and job- creation skills. We call on the federal government to stop the dichotomy between varsity graduates and their counterparts from the polytechnics on entry point into the civil service and career prospects. Both should be treated equally in terms of wages and employment. Let the government and ASUP use the scheduled January 23 meeting to address all outstanding issues and settle the trade dispute.
