ASUP may resume Strike - Asup 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