ASUP May Resume Strike, Says President

Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to resume a strike action it suspended July 17 due to what it called government's use of "divide and rule" tactics in running tertiary institutions in the country. ASUP President Comrade Chibuzo Asomugha in a press statement said the union's suspension of its strike was predicated on the understanding that government was to meet certain obligations which it has refused to fulfil till now. While stressing that the union had "generously" granted government one month, as against the two weeks it demanded, he said two weeks after the expiration of the deadline, the only obligation which government has met in part is the harmonization of the modalities for the migration of the lower cadres of staff, stressing that government has not been able to definitely indicate where the attendant arrears will come from. Asomugha said other matters which are yet to be settled are completion of the appointment of governing councils in all polytechnics, release of the White Paper on the Visitation to Federal polytechnics, the review of the Federal Polytechnics Act, the commencement of the renegotiation of the FGN/ ASUP Agreement due since July 2012, and a Needs Assessment of Nigeria's polytechnics and proper funding of polytechnics. The union lamented the "unfortunate stance of government in adopting a divide and rule approach to repositioning higher education in the country. Lately, government's whole attention has been focused on the university sector to the total abandonment of the polytechnics and the colleges of education." He disclosed that ASUP may be forced to resume its strike if government refuses to fulfil its obligations