Knocks For FG Over ASUP Strike

Damilare Okunola & Harrison Iyoha

Students of various Nigerian polytechnics have blamed the protracted industrial action by their lecturers on the unseriousness of government officials involved in the negotiations aimed at ending the strike.

The  ten months old industrial action has paralysed academic activities in major polytechnics in Nigeria. The refusal of the Federal Government to reach a compromise with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has caused the strike to linger for so long.

P.M.NEWS Campus Square gathered that for the second consecutive week, the government representatives expected to attend a meeting scheduled by the Senate committee on education, were absent.

According to ASUP National President, Chibuzo Asomugha, “the Senators were disappointed that the government representatives failed to attend the negotiation meeting for the second consecutive week.

“Only Labour Minister, Emeka Wogu took permission to attend to pressing issues from the health workers. Others neither came nor informed us about their absence.

“Our prayer is that when the ministers are being screened this week, we shall get someone else to fight our cause.”

ASUP had gone on a warning strike in April 2013 to demand a better salary scale from the Federal Government, among other pressing issues but when the government did not yield to their demands, they went on an indefinite strike in October.

Some Polytechnics students who spoke with P.M.NEWS Campus Square accused the government of not taking polytechnics seriously.

They said the Federal Government officials are killing polytechnic education because they are stakeholders in private universities springing up in the country.

Alabi Benson, a Year 2 National Diploma  student of Nasarrawa Polytechnic, said: “I am suspecting that our protracted strike is because many of these government officials own private institutions in the country.

“For how long are we going to continue like this?”

Another student who spoke with our correspondent, Precious Adekunle, noted that the long period the affected students are staying at home could jeopardise their future.

The Computer Analyst bemoaned the fact that the ‘most resourceful’ sector of tertiary institution in the country had been left to rot due to the insensitivity of the government agents.

She added: “how do they expect the country to grow when they are not serious? It is highly inhumane to have kept us waiting for this long. I just hope that they know the long-term implication of leaving students at home for this long.”

A senior lecturer at the Lagos State Polytechnic, stated furiously: “this issue on ground is beyond ASUP. Let’s face the truth, the Federal Government knows what they are doing by keeping these hapless polytechnic students at home for 10 months doing.

“What are we asking that is too big for the government to agree with? Are we asking them for what is not possible? This is just wickedness. Was this how they kept quiet when ASUU was on strike? How come we are not being attended to?”

Another aggrieved student who spoke with our correspondent, slammed the Federal Government for being callous to polytechnic students.

The Yaba College of Technology student who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said :“This country will only be a better place for us to stay if only the people at the helm of affairs see everybody as  important.

“My singular prayer is that the best things in the country would still be standing when the Federal Government  finally wakes up to its responsibilities.

“This country is just too poor for any well-meaning Nigerian to hope for a better future.”

After their National Executive Council meeting at the Yaba College of Technology, last week, ASUP maintained its resolve to continue with the industrial action until government officials reach a compromise with the lecturers.

“It is a ‘No Retreat, No Surrender’ case with those people,” the lecturers said in a statement after their meeting.