ASUP Strike Paralyses Academic Works

The seven-day warning strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), enters the third day today, and affected academic activities in some institutions.

National President of ASUP, Mr Chibuzor Asomugba, told newsmen that though the union met Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Monday, no concrete agreement was reached.

According to Asomugba, the strike will continue until all the demands are met and all the institutions have been directed to comply.

“We have not called off the strike; government is making effort but nothing concrete yet. “We met with the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim on Monday, but no concrete agreement was reached.

“One of our demands have been met as the Federal Government constituted governing boards of some institutions on Monday (as ASUP demanded), but some are still omitted and we don’t know why.

“We are happy with that, but we will not stop until the main demands are met”.

At the Ikorodu campus of the Lagos State Polytechnic, lectures did not hold as a result of the warning strike.

PRO of the Students’ Union Government, Mr Oluwasegun Iroko, told newsmen in Ikorodu that the strike was effective as academic activities were halted. “The strike is on and all academic activities are affected.

The ASUP chairman, Lagos State Polytechnic chapter, Mr Olatunji Arolowo, said he was happy that the strike was effective at the polytechnic’s two campuses.

Arowolo said that the warning strike would continue until the demands were met.

At the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, however, academic activities went on with students writing their first semester examinations.

ASUP, in a communiqué issued after an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, had directed its members to proceed on a seven-day warning strike on Monday— April 22— to press home some demands.

The union listed one of the unresolved issues, which necessitated the strike, as non-constitution of governing councils for Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Technology.

Others include the non-release of government white paper of the visitation panels to the federal polytechnics, and non-commencement of the NEED Assessments of the Nigerian polytechnics.