The Federal Polytechnic, Nekede chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has joined the one-week warning strike declared by the union, following Federal Government’s refusal to comply with the agreement reached with ASUP since 2014.
Speaking with The Point in Owerri, the Chairman of the Nekede chapter of ASUP, Dr. Anayo Uhiara, said that the decision was taken after a National Executive Council meeting mandating all members to join the strike from January 30 to February 6, 2017.
Uhiara said that the action followed the non-implementation of the NEEDS assessment report on public polytechnics and colleges of technology in Nigeria, requiring the injection of a minimum of N652,591,478,614.00 to address the rot in infrastructure in the sub-sector.
He also recounted the poor funding of the polytechnics, non-implementation of capital grants to polytechnics, withdrawal of allowances from Federal Polytechnics since 2016, sustained shortfalls in personnel allocation as well as the nonfunding of promotion exercises.
Uhiara reiterated that members were being owed salaries and arrears ranging from two to nine months in states like Edo, Bayelsa, Osun, Kogi, Benue, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Imo and Abia, while check-off dues and some deductions were withheld in Rivers State in the past four months.
He stated that no step had been taken on the dichotomy between HND and BSc holders by the Federal Government, the delay in the review of the Federal Polytechnics Act while the education ministry had yet to take actions on the matter.
The ASUP chairman commended the decision of the NEC, saying it was a well-designed development to tackle the problems of the union.
