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Tag: ASUP

  • ASUP threatens strike, alleges neglect by FG, states

    ASUP threatens strike, alleges neglect by FG, states

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Zone C (South-West) has expressed concern over unresolved issues negatively affecting polytechnic education and staff welfare.

    The union also expressed dissatisfaction at alleged  government insincerity in honouring agreements with it.

    Thr Coordinator of the zone, Mr Masopa Nurudeen, raised the concern at a news conference at the Gate Way (ICT) Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun, on Wednesday.

    He described the situation as unacceptable.

    The coordinator highlighted 13 major grievances of the union. including non-payment of  lecturers’ allowances, stalled promotions and poor infrastructure funding.

    He also listed failure to implement reforms contained in the Federal Ministry of Education’s approved roadmap.

    According to him, ASUP members will not want to continue working under such conditions.

    “Central to the demands is the unresolved Peculiar Academic Allowance, a product of the 2010 ASUP/FGN agreement. Continuity of the payment cannot be guaranteed without proper documentation from relevant agencies,” he said.

    He also expressed dissatisfaction that the Federal Ministry of Education allegedly permitted outsourcing of accreditation personnel.

    Nurudeen said that it compromised quality assurance, bred corruption, and imposed unnecessary financial burdens on institutions.

    “Another major concern is the failure to pay 12 months arrears of consequential salary adjustment.

    “We are not pleased with the situation. many staff have been unfairly deprived despite existing government pronouncements.

    “We equally condemn the delay in releasing the 2023 NEEDS Assessment Intervention Fund. Poor facilities remain a stumbling block for learning and research; yet, funds for redress remain locked.

    “Our members also frown at failure to implement the 2019 Federal Polytechnic Act across state-owned polytechnics. This has left staff vulnerable to forced retirement and other administrative injustices in several states,” he said.

    On Higher National Diploma/Bachelor’s Degree dichotomy, he noted that President Bola Tinubu had yet to sign a bill  passed by the National Assembly to end the dichotomy.

    He also raised concerns over non-payment of CONTISS 15 arrears for over a decade,  accusing some state governments of delaying payment of promotion arrears for years.

    The coordinator also alleged that Oyo State Government failed to appoint substantive principal officers fir Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa.

    “ASUP insists that four years of acting leadership is detrimental to growth.”

    He decried alleged militarisation of some campuses with armed operatives to intimidate ASUP members.

    “Equally worrisome to ASUP is the stalled renegotiation of the 2010 agreement with the Federal Government.

    “The union emphasises that 15 years without review shows government’s disregard for collective bargaining.

    “The union criticises the Federal Ministry of Education for abandoning the Rapid Response Committee mechanism.

    “We believe that reconvening such meetings could help to avert industrial disputes and create a platform for dialogue.”

    The coordinator warned that failure to resolve the issues would compel  the union to embark on a nationwide strike.

  • Strike: ASUP gives 21-day ultimatum

    Strike: ASUP gives 21-day ultimatum

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to resolve issues negatively affecting polytechnic education in Nigeria.

    Mr Monday Ojo, Chairman of ASUP, Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech),  announced the ultimatum at a news conference on Thursday in Lagos.

    He spoke on behalf of the President of ASUP, Mr Shammah Kpanja.

    Ojo  said that, at its emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, ASUP expressed concern over ‘disturbing developments’ threatening the stability of the polytechnic education sector.

    According to him,  the Federal Government has not been able to make commitments to resolving the issues.

    “This has left us with no choice but to issue this ultimatum. Our stand is for the Federal Government to address the issues satisfactorily.

    “Key issues raised include non-release of the circular for Peculiar Academic Allowance, unpaid arrears of the 25/35 per cent salary review, and continued discrimination against HND holders.

    “ASUP also faulted the delay in the release of the second round of NEEDS Assessment intervention, and criticised the Federal Ministry of Education for outsourcing quality assurance activities in polytechnics,” Ojo said.

    The official also decried failure of some state governments to implement the new minimum wage, and accused the Federal Government of stalling renegotiation of the ASUP/FGN 2010 Agreement.

    “Our members are demotivated by unpaid promotion arrears, with some dating back to 2019. This situation is unacceptable and worsening morale in institutions,” he added.

    The union leader also condemned unlawful disruption of union activities by security agents.

    He said that  ASUP was also dissatisfied with the inability of  the Federal Government to establish a dedicated polytechnic commission.

    “If these issues remain unresolved after 21 days, we may have no option but to declare a trade dispute and withdraw our services nationwide,” he warned.

    Earlier, Mr Masopa Nurudeen, ASUP Zone C Coordinator, said at a congress of  ASUP, Yabatech Chapter: “Salaries are inadequate, our members are undergoing financial difficulties and many individuals are struggling and performing additional tasks to cope with the economic situation.”

  • Polytechnics staff threaten strike, issue FG ultimatum

    Polytechnics staff threaten strike, issue FG ultimatum

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its outstanding demands in an agreement entered with the union.

    Mr Shammah Kpanja, President of ASUP, said this while addressing newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of the union on Thursday in Abuja.

    Kapanja said that the demands by the union includes the non release of a circular to effect the payment of its Peculiar Academic Allowance by the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

    He said the Peculiar Academic Allowances paid to academic staff across Polytechnics was a component of the ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement.

    The union leader said, rather than make provisions for payment, the allowances have been removed from the budgeting template and the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) had failed to intervene in definite terms on the subject.

    He said the NEC expressed deep concerns over the continued decision by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to outsource the accreditation process for polytechnics in the country despite assurances to desist from such actions.

    The union leader said the 25/35 per cent arrears of salary review was yet to be implemented.

    He said that the arrears which cover a 12-month period and captured in the budget was yet to be released for reasons beyond the comprehension of the union.

    ASUP president added that NEC  expressed deep concerns over the continued decision by the NBTE to outsource the accreditation process for polytechnics in the country despite assurances to desist from such actions.

    He said that most states government have failed to implement the New National Minimum Wage.

    He said NEC have expressed worry over the continued delay and non approval of a dual mandate structure aimed at eliminating the agelong discrimination against HND holders.

    “In view of the items listed above our union’s NEC has resolved to issue a 21 days ultimatum to the Government to address the issues satisfactorily.

    “A failure to utilise this window may lead to the declaration of a trade dispute and withdrawal of services of our members across public polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide” he said.

  • NBTE clarifies digital accreditation process for polys, dismisses ASUP’s claims as misleading

    NBTE clarifies digital accreditation process for polys, dismisses ASUP’s claims as misleading

    The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has responded to statements by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), clarifying issues on digital accreditation, describing it as misleading.

    NBTE, dismissing ASUP’s claims which was contained in a publication in one of the national dailies, said the board had introduced digital accreditation in 2024 to address challenges such as falsification of data and insecurity.

    In a statement issued to newsmen on Monday in Kaduna, Mrs Fatima Abubakar, the Head, Media Unit of NBTE, said the use of technology and Artificial Intelligence had brought an end to the challenges highlighted by ASUP in their publication.

    Abubakar added that digital accreditation had also bridged the challenge of insecurity and limited accessibility in some states when conducting accreditation physically.

    She stated that the ‘brown envelopes’ saga of the past had also been brought to an end.

    According to her, over 90 per cent of accreditations are now done digitally, with physical accreditation allowed in a few cases, such as institutions with poor internet access or weak ICT infrastructure.

    “A Federal Polytechnic in Taraba is an example of an institution with poor internet services, established in 2007 but not yet on the national grid,”she said.

    The media unit head explained that vendors were selected through a transparent process to handle physical accreditations in such cases.

    She said that the vendors were approved by the NBTE Tenders Board after advertisements and other screening processes, carried out transparently and witnessed by several stakeholders.

    “The physical accreditation by vendors has taken off, with the Minister of Education approving monitoring and evaluation exercises with ASUP nominees.

    “NBTE expects ASUP to participate in these exercises before making conclusions, rather than jumping to conclusions without full knowledge of the situation,”she said.

    Abubakar, therefore, described ASUP’s allegations as misleading and called on the union to partner with the board to reposition Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria.

    She emphasised that the Federal Government valued TVET, making it a crucial pillar, adding that NBTE was working to change the narrative of the Nigerian youths and grow the economy.

    “The board had made progress in repositioning TVET since the assumption of office of the current Executive Secretary in 2021,”she said.

    Abubakar believed that all the stakeholders must work together to bring succour and dignity to the TVET sector.

    She said that with the current government’s commitment to TVET, NBTE was optimistic about the future of the sector and the impact it can have on the nation’s development.

    Abubakar restated NBTE’s commitment to promoting skills for national development, urging ASUP to see the board as a partner in progress.

  • Strike: NUBA Polytechnic lecturers earn less than NYSC members – ASUP

    Strike: NUBA Polytechnic lecturers earn less than NYSC members – ASUP

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria Chapter, has raised alarm over alleged poor salaries earned by the polytechnic lecturers as the union continues its strike.

    The union alleged that the lecturers earned less than the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, which according to it, is sparking concerns over educators’ welfare.

    The Chairman of the union, Malam Usman-Shehu Suleiman, made this known in an interview with NAN in Zaria on Thursday.

    Recall the joint staff unions had embarked on a one-week warning strike on June 16, which has grounded academic activities at the two campuses of the institution.

    The strike was hinged on the non implementation of the National Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Salary Structure and implementation of the 65 years retirement age for non-teaching staff among others.

    Suleiman, who is also the Chairman, Joint Action Committee of the staff unions of the institutions, said a net pay of an assistant lecturer at the institution was N64, 400, which he said was far below the monthly allowance of NYSC members.

    “This, among other reasons made the institutions to experience drastic brain-drain and many lecturers are on the verge of leaving the institution.

    “We lose cohorts of lecturers to Federal University of Transportation Daura, Katsina State; Federal Polytechnic Gombe and Kaduna State University (KASU) among other institutions.

    “We have an instance where a lecturer was sponsored to acquire masters and Ph.D by the institution upon his return he found the situation unbearable and decided to leave,” he said.

    However, the chairman added that the lecturer had signed a bond with the institution, therefore, he had to repay NUBA Polytechnic over N21m.

    The chairman described the situation as ‘bad omen’ for the education sector.

    Similarly, Abubakar Aliyu-Shika, Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnic (SSANIP), NUBA Polytechnic branch, said the union had been agitating for the improvement of salary since 2009, “almost 16 years ago.

    “We had series of agreements with the state government on June 11, 2010, and June 19, 2014 over the matter and nothing was done besides just signing the agreement and complaints of paucity of funds.”

    He added that on Dec. 17 2024, Gov. Uba Sani assured the leadership of the joint unions that the Polytechnic and College of Education Salary Structure (2024) would be implemented by the first quarter of 2025.

    “Regrettably, we are in the end of second quarter of the year and no concrete steps have been taken to fulfill this promise,” he said.

    Aliyu-Shika noted that one of the excuses was paucity of fund in the state and the government would fully implement the new salary structure when the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) improved.

    He added that the total staff strength of the polytechnic was little above 900, saying, ”now, the government has recruited 500 new staff; it means the financial situation has improved, hence our demands.”

  • Polytechnic lecturers insist on strike

    Polytechnic lecturers insist on strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has insisted on plans to embark on two weeks warning strike from December 2.

    Mr Kpanja Shammah, President of ASUP, said this while addressing newsmen at the end of its 112th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

    Shammah said that the Federal Government was yet to implement the 11 items in the agreements entered with ASUP.

    Recall that ASUP had issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and other relevant agencies.

    The ultimatum was for them to immediately review and reverse all decisions inconsistent with provisions of the Polytechnics Act and other governance instruments in the sub-sector.

    The union had also alleged issues of impunity and disregard for clear provisions of the Act, various edicts establishing state-owned institutions, and other governance instruments.

    According to  Shammah, as at today, we can only attest to the resolution of item number four while item number two is ongoing. No tangible effort is being made to resolve the other items.

    “To worsen the situation, the beneficiary of the fundamentally flawed Rectorship appointment process in Federal Polytechnic Nekede is currently on a mission to destroy the union in the institution.

    “Following these developments, the union resolved to withdraw the services of its members nationwide with effect from Dec. 2 on two weeks definite strike action in the first instance,” he said.

    He said that the strike would serve as a warning to the government to resolve the issues listed or be held responsible for an indefinite action going forward.

    The ASUP president, however, listed their grievances to include sustained reports of impunity and disrespect of clear provisions of the Federal Polytechnics Act, different edicts establishing state owned institutions.

    He also cited the appointment of a Rector in Federal Polytechnic, Wannune without following due process.

    He said that others were the non-review of the contentious and suspended document titled “Schemes of Service for Polytechnics”, and non-release of the NEEDS Assessment intervention funds for 2023, among others.

    He called for the understanding and support of members of the public, adding that the union was being forced to, yet again, battle for the soul of Nigeria’s Polytechnic System through industrial action.

    “We hope that the government will work to meet the demands of the union, which is to engender a healthy teaching and learning environment, so as to avoid an indefinite shutdown of the sector”.

  • Why we postponed nationwide strike – ASUP

    Why we postponed nationwide strike – ASUP

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) says it has decided to defer its planned nationwide strike to the Dec. 2, to allow the Federal Government meet its demands.

    Mr Kpanja Shammah, National President of ASUP said this in a statement at the end of the union’s emergency National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.

    ASUP had on Oct. 7 issued a 15-days ultimatum to the federal government to meet its demands.

    The demands included the alleged interference of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in the statutory duties of Academic Boards regarding the admission of HND students,.

    Others were the need for infrastructure revitalisation through the NEEDS ASSESSMENT intervention, implementation of promotions in state institutions, the payment of all outstanding promotion arrears.

    There was also the settlement of pending arrears from 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary review for the period of Jan. 2023 to Dec. 2023 in Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology.

    According to Shammah, following the ultimatum, a resolution meeting of all stakeholders in the sector was convened by the Federal Ministry of Education.

    He said that the meeting was convened with a view to resolving the contentious issues on Oct 23.

    “Resolutions and an action plan were developed during the meeting to resolve the issues.

    “The union’s NEC, therefore, met again on an emergency note on the Oct. 24 to review the action plan as proposed in the meeting with the stakeholders.

    “After exhaustive deliberations, the union resolved to defer its proposed industrial action to the Dec. 2.

    “The decision was taken to gauge the government’s commitment to implementing the action plan as agreed at the meeting of Oct. 23,”he said.

    He said that it was the expectation of ASUP that government would take advantage of the period to show commitment by diligently executing the action plan on each of the eleven items in dispute.

  • BREAKING: ASUP shelves planned nationwide strike

    BREAKING: ASUP shelves planned nationwide strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has shelved its planned industrial action, Mr Simji Lumpye, the Zone B Coordinator of the union, has said.

    Lumpye explained in a statement on Tuesday in Jos that the decision to shelve the planned strike followed a tripartite meeting between the union and government.

    Recall that ASUP had on July 19, issued a 15-day ultimatum to government on the contentious scheme of service released by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

    ”I wish to inform the general public and our esteemed members that, government immediately convened a tripartite meeting between it, NBTE and our union.

    ”Far-reaching decisions were reached, which includes the suspension of the implementation of the released scheme of service, the convening of the meeting of all stakeholders to further scrutinise the document and make the necessary adjustment and correction.

    ”That the Executive Secretary of NBTE should issue a circular directing the suspension of the implementation of the scheme of service to all chairmen of Governing Councils, rectors and provosts of schools.

    ”The union at its emergency National Executive Council meeting on July 2, resolved among other things to put on hold her earlier resolution to embark on an industrial action after the expiration of her ultimatum,” he said.

    Lumpye thanked the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, the leadership of the union and other stakeholders for playing key roles toward averting the impending strike.

  • Why we suspended planned strike – ASUP

    Why we suspended planned strike – ASUP

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) suspended its planned industrial action following the Federal Government’s intervention regarding a contentious new scheme of service, an official said.

    Dr Iloma Richard, ASUP Zone D Coordinator, said this during an interview in Port Harcourt on Friday.

    He said that the union had issued a 15-day ultimatum to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to suspend the implementation of the disputed policy or face industrial action.

    “But, before the ultimatum expired on July 22, the Federal Ministry of Education convened a tripartite meeting with ASUP and NBTE on July 19.

    “The meeting resulted in a decision to suspend the implementation of the contentious document via an official circular addressed to all relevant authorities, which NBTE complied with.

    “The meeting further resolved that a review process of the flawed scheme of service by critical stakeholders be initiated by NBTE,” he said.

    Richard noted that ASUP’s National Executive Council (NEC) was satisfied with the terms reached during the meeting.

    “Consequently, the NEC resolved to suspend the proposed industrial action while monitoring the sincerity of the review process,” he concluded.

    The union leader praised the Federal Ministry of Education for its timely intervention and commended NBTE for its understanding.

    “We are grateful to ASUP chapters, rectors, provosts, and students for their support during the process,” he emphasised.

    The disputed issues in the new scheme include the requirement that made the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation an approving authority of polytechnics.

    Others are the discriminatory minimum employment requirement for Bachelors degree holders set at second class lower, and upper credits for polytechnic graduates.

    Additionally, issues such as an extended promotion period for lecturers, non-academic designation for academic staff, and the reclassification of technologists as non-academic staff among others.

  • ASUP gives ultimatum for suspension of scheme of service implementation

    ASUP gives ultimatum for suspension of scheme of service implementation

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to public polytechnic authorities to suspend  implementation of  a ‘contentious’ scheme of service  put together by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

    The ultimatum is with effect from July 8.

    The President of the union, Mr Kpanja Shammah, made this known at a media briefing in Lagos on Monday.

    NAN reports that ASUP, at its 110th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held  on July 4 in Abuja, reviewed the scheme of service with regard to practices and standards in the academic setting, nationally and globally.

    Shammah said on Monday that  suspension of the implementation of the scheme was necessary, adding that some of its provisions were below standards.

    “Following critical review of the document by the NEC of the union and in pursuit of our commitment to the advancement of the interest of members and the polytechnics in Nigeria, the following resolutions were made:

    “The union demands suspension of  implementation of the identified provisions until the requisite amendments are effected. The ultimatum is with effect from July 8.