Four days after lecturers in the universities started a four-week strike, their polytechnic counterparts are set to follow suit as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has asked its members to be ready to stop work at any time from now.
National President of ASUP, Mr Anderson Umezurike Ezeibe, disclosed this to members of the union at Hussaini Adamu Federal Polytechnic, Kazaure, Jigawa state.
Ezeibe said the federal government has reneged on some parts of the agreements it reached with the union in June last year, adding that the ASUP suspended strike on June 10, 2021, based on agreements it reached with the Federal Government.
Ezeibe said part of the agreement included the release of N15 billion for the revitalisation of polytechnics and monotechnics, among others, adding that since the agreement was reached, the Federal Government has fulfilled some while leaving others out.
“Despite the suspension of the strike, the revitalization funds is yet to be released after its approval by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the minimum wage arrears.
“The renegotiation process of the agreement is still going on. Therefore, a strike is a legitimate instrument of engagement for the Government’s failure to meet our demand.
“Strike is a decision taken by National executives, so any time we give a progress report and it doesn’t meet the approval and satisfaction of NEC strike becomes an option,” he said.
He said the NEC would take its possible decision on its next meeting to hold March in Mubi, Adamawa State
