Warns nationwide strike after expiration of 21 days ultimatum
By Hassan Ibrahim
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has described the proposed Federal Government loans scheme for its members as unnecessary distractions, saying that "pay us our outstanding liabilities before you talk about loans."
The President of ASUP, Shammah Kpanja who stated this Friday while responding to questions from journalists during a press conference organized by ASUP Zone B held in Bauchi.
It will be recalled that the ASUP had on 14th of August in Abuja issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government to address its outstanding 12-month salary arrears and other pressing entitlements or embark on nationwide strike.
The President explained that several meetings were held with the ministry's officials, NBTE and union on how to resolve the lingering issues but no positive response from the government which prompted the union to give the government an ultimatum.
Kpanja said, "Two days to our last NEC meeting, the ministry gives us one scanty letter that all issues were taken into consideration and the issues of our 25/35 percent salary arrears, we should wait until when the implementation of the 2025 budget starts."
He continued, "We see this as inappropriate because even though we are a union, and we are staff in the Polytechnics, we follow what is happening in the government. We know it is only the capital aspect of the 2025 budget that has not yet been implemented. We know that the National Assembly has extended the implementation of capital aspect till December 2025 but that does not affect the personnel cost.
"For example if the 2025 budget was not implemented, where did the government get money saying to give us loans. We feel this as a contradiction because you have not paid me my outstanding money and you are telling me until the 2025 budget is implemented but you are preparing to give a loan," he said.
"Our position as a union is to pay us our outstanding liabilities before you talk about the loans, more so that we are not consulted at all," he added.
He, however, disclosed that the ministry of education has invited the union for dialogue to discuss ways to address the issues at stake, hoping that the meeting would be fruitful because the government refused to execute previous resolutions.
Earlier in his remarks, ASUP Zonal Coordinator Zone B, Lumpye Innocent Simji, threatened to embark on nationwide strike if the federal government fails to meet its demands at the expiration of the 21 days ultimatum.
Simji said that chapters were also directed to organize press conferences in their localities to draw the attention of all and sundry to the plight of tertiary education in Nigeria. Issues in dispute include and not limited to.
The Coordinator who disclosed some of the ASUP demands including Non-Release of Circular by the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to cover the Peculiar Academic Allowance: The Peculiar Academic allowance paid to academic staff across Polytechnics is a component of the ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement.
However, its sustenance is being threatened by the non release of the requisite circular by the NSIWC to enable budgetary provisions in this regard. Currently, the allowance has been removed from the budgeting template and the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) has failed to intervene in definite terms on this subject.
Others are Non-Release of Arrears of the 25/35% Salary Review/ Non-Implementation of Same in State Owned Polytechnics: The Government is yet to release the funds required for the payment of the arrears of the 25/35% salary review.
The arrears cover a 12-month period and are captured in the budget but yet to be released for reasons beyond the comprehension of our Union and her members. The situation is worse in State Owned Polytechnics where some states have not implemented the salary review. Also, most state governments have failed to implement the New National Minimum Wage.
"Unnecessary delay on the granting of a dual mandate structure aimed at eliminating the age long dichotomy between the graduates of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The continued delay and non-approval of a dual mandate structure aimed at eliminating the age long discrimination against HND holders has continued to facilitate discrimination against polytechnic education and her products."
The non-release of the approved needs assessment fund by Government to beneficiary institutions for infrastructural development: The government continues to foot drag on the release of the second round of the approved Needs Assessment intervention. Equally, the relevant committee in the FME has refused to reconvene so as to review the utilization of the first round.
The outsourcing of quality assurance by NBTE to unqualified vendors, the Union is totally against the outsourcing of the core mandate for which NBTE is established to charlatans; Our Union had raised concerns against the FME approved policy of outsourcing quality assurance activities in Nigeria’s Polytechnics pointing to ethical, economic, convention and moral defects in the policy.
The non-establishment of a Dedicated commission for the Polytechnic sector: Despite the approval of the sectoral roadmap of the FME detailing the need for a dedicated commission to adequately regulate the tertiary education component of Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVET in the country, no step has been taken to actualize this.
Non-Release of Promotion Arrears/Non-Implementation of Promotion in Many State Owned Institutions: The snail speed deployed in the release of promotion arrears to members of our Union with some dating back to 2019 is very unfortunate and has eroded the value of the funds. Equally in many state owned Polytechnics, implementation of promotion has become a mirage leaving staff very demotivated.
Renegotiation of ASUP/FGN 2010 Agreement: The Government has refused to reconstitute this committee with a view to concluding the renegotiation exercise. Refusal to Domesticate Relevant Portions of the Federal Polytechnics Act by State Owned Polytechnics: This has persisted since 2019 thereby creating an unneeded gulf in standards between the institutions under federal proprietorship and those under the states.
Sustained Dichotomy Against HND holders in the Public Service: This unnecessary discrimination and dehumanization against holders of HND is driven by deliberate policies of the government. Bills passed by the national assembly in an effort to eradicate this scourge have not been signed by the President.
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