Nigerian Polytechnic Lecturers Threaten To Shut Down Schools, Join University Teachers Currently On Strike

According to a report by SaharaReporters, the umbrella body of polytechnic lecturers in Nigeria, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has said that the one-month ultimatum it gave to the government would lapse next Wednesday.

The union threatened to shut down all polytechnics in Nigeria if the Nigerian government fails to meet its demands.

The National Executive Council of ASUP had at the end of its 102 meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, in March issued a one-month ultimatum to the government.

At its emergency congress on Thursday in Ogun State, the ASUP Zone C, which comprises South West region and Kwara State, insisted that the Nigerian government must its demands before the expiration of the ultimatum.

ASUP had suspended its 61-day long industrial action on June 10, 2021, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the government, the Zonal Coordinator, Yekini Asafe said.

Asafe noted that due to the failure of the government to meet the union’s demands, it might be forced to resume the suspended industrial action.

According to him, the decision on whether to resume the strike action will be taken at the union’s NEC meeting scheduled to hold on May 4 in Abuja.

Some of the union’s grievances with the government include the non-release of the revitalisation funds for the sector, non-release of arrears of the new minimum wage, and non-release of the reviewed nomination instruments for institutions and management.

The polytechnic lecturers’ counterparts in universities, under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), had embarked on a one-month warning strike on February 14, 2022. It extended the industrial action after its expiration by another two months, over the government’s failure to fulfil their agreements.

Activities have been grounded in Nigerian public universities since then as students wait for the strike to be called off.