The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Zone C (South-West), has issued a grave warning of a potential nationwide strike over unresolved issues plaguing polytechnic education and staff welfare. Speaking at a press conference at Gateway Polytechnic in Ogun State, ASUP Zone C Coordinator Masopa Nurudeen decried government insincerity and neglect in honoring agreements.
The union presented 13 pressing grievances, including the non-payment of lecturers’ peculiar academic allowances from the 2010 ASUP/Federal Government agreement, stalled promotions, and poor funding for institutional infrastructure. Nurudeen criticized the Federal Ministry of Education for outsourcing accreditation personnel, which the union said compromised quality assurance and increased institutional financial burdens.
Further concerns include unpaid twelve months of consequential salary adjustments, delayed release of the 2023 NEEDS Assessment Intervention Fund, failure to enforce the 2019 Federal Polytechnic Act in some states, and non-payment of CONTISS 15 arrears for over a decade. The union also condemned the militarization of campuses to intimidate members and the persistence of the Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor's degree dichotomy, waiting for presidential assent to the resolve bill.
Nurudeen emphasized that many issues had lingered for years without resolution, and failure to act would leave ASUP with no option but to shut down services nationwide, crippling polytechnic education. The union appeals for renewed dialogue and government commitment to avoid industrial disputes and preserve educational standards.