ASUP Threatens FG with Industrial Action

* Accuses TETFUND of underfunding Polytechnics
Paul Obi in Abuja
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) on Thursday threatened the federal government that it will resort to another round of industrial action should government continue to ignore its demands it agreed with the union in 2012.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, ASUP President, Usman Dutse, explained that several agreements ASUP and government signed in 2012 were yet to be implemented. He listed them to include non-implementation of CONTISS, poor state of polytechnics, under-funding of the sector and lopsidedness in funding by TETFUND.

Others are dichotomy between HND and bachelors’ degree, non-implementation of NEEDS assessment report on polytechnics, delay in the passage of polytechnic act and review of scheme of service among others.

According to Dutse, “It is expedient for us to state that this is not the first time we are bringing to the fore the challenges confronting the education sector in Nigeria, particularly the Polytechnic sub-sector and the demands our union had placed before Government as far back as 2012.

“You may recall that these were some of the issues that had compelled our union to embark on a nine-month strike between October, 2013 and July 2014. That long strike was suspended owing to the intervention of the National Assembly; the passionate appeal of parents and other stakeholders in the sector; and on the promise by the Federal Government to resolve the 13 points demand of the union within three months beginning from July, 2014.
FURTHER DETAILS LATER