Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta has joined the five days nationwide warning strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic.
Also a top source in MAPOLY chapter of the ASUP confirmed this to Press Club MAPOLY on Monday after the chapter’s congress at the ASUP secretariat.
Another top official at the Directorate of Students’ Affairs also confirmed this to one of Press Club MAPOLY reporters on Monday afternoon.
It would be recalled that the National President of the association, Usman Dutse directed members of the union in all public polytechnics across the federation to ensure total compliance.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja last Wednesday, President of ASUP, Usman Dutse, said there would be no academic and administrative activity in any public polytechnic between 12 noon of 30 January, 2017 and 6 February, 2017.
“The union therefore resolved at the emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC), held on the 25 January 2017 to embark on a one week warning strike effective 12 noon, January 30, 2017 to 6 February 2017 in the first instance.
“Members are therefore directed to ensure total compliance as no academic and administrative activity is expected in any public polytechnic across Nigeria within the period; and await further directives from the union’s organs,” Dutse said.
Comrade Dutse pointed out that the union had on two occasions in July and November last year communicated the decision of its NEC to withdraw the services of its members if a number of issues identified as undermining the sector are not addressed.
Specifically, on 14 November 2016, the correspondence to government conveyed a one month ultimatum to the government on the issues in contention.
Regrettably, the ASUP president stated that despite “the severity of the issues listed, government has not, within the intervening period demonstrated enough passion to address them , leaving the union with no choice especially as we have demonstrated enough patience in deferring the decision since August 2016.”
The issues in contention include the non-implementation of the report of the NEEDS Assessment report which as at July 2014 revealed that public polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria require injection of minimum of N652.6million to address the rot in infrastructure in the sector.
Efforts to reach the polytechnic Public Relations Executive, Sulaimon Adebiyi proved abortive.
His telephone line was not available as the time of filing this report. A text message sent to him on Sunday night is also awaiting reponse.
