Nigerian Polytechnics Remain Closed Despite Calls on Government and Striking Lecturers

The strike has paralyzed activities in Nigerian Polytechnics, bringing everything to a standstill.

By Maimuna Abdulkadir
Seven weeks ago, members of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in Nigeria started an indefinite strike action as they demanded better wages, as well as an improvement in the standard of polytechnics in the country.

The union accuses the government of insincerity and failure to fulfill promises made to the body - principally the 2009 agreements that the government entered into with the union.

Some of the agreements, according to the lecturers body, include the constitution of a governing council for each of the polytechnics, the elongation of years of service for the lecturers, lifting the ceiling on ranks of the lecturers to allow for professors to serve in the polytechnics, as well as more provision of funding for conduct of research in the polytechnics.


ASUP had on 25^th of March given a 30 day ultimatum to the Federal Government, and later started a week long warning strike between 22^nd – 28^th April, because of what the body describe as “governments refusal to hear our cry.”

In a statement, the Union Secretary General, Usman Mamaki Peni, said the reasons for the warning strike include “the failure of the government to kick-start the renegotiations of the FGN/ASUP Agreement which fell due in July 2012 and failure of government to reconstitute the governing councils of federal polytechnics which were dissolved 16 months ago”.

“The dismal conditions of state-owned polytechnics in the country, failure of most state governments to implement the approved salary packages (CONPCASS) for the academic staff of their polytechnics and failure of some state governments to implement the statutory 65-year retirement age for academic staff in their polytechnics”.

Even though, the government has inaugurated governing councils prior to the commencement of the warning strike; the union has gone ahead with its indefinite strike because majority of its demand has not been met.
At a recent meeting to review the impact of the strike action, the National Executive Council of the union, with branch leaders from across the country, resolved that since the government was yet to meet the union’s demand, all members of the union should continue to stay away from classrooms.

Negotiations with Government

Government has so far kept quiet over the matter, but the National President of ASUP, Chibuzor Asumogba, has however told a state media that “Our members are holding forth; we are making progress with our discussion with the Federal Government and the talks still continue.”

He said the union was left with no other option than to embark on the indefinite strike, adding that the decision to suspend the ongoing strike lie squarely on the action of the Federal Government on the demands of the striking lecturers.

ASUP Chairman, Kaduna Polytechnic chapter, Mustapha Yahaya Bida, who also confirmed that the National Leadership of the union has commenced negotiation meetings with the government on the matter, expressed optimism that the impasse would soon be resolved.

Three weeks ago, Nigeria’s House of Representatives had in a sitting passed a resolution urging the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene in the ongoing strike by ASUP. It also urged other stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the problem of incessant strike actions in the nation’s education sector.
Other well meaning Nigerians, including parents and student union groups have also called on the government and striking lecturers to resolve their differences in the interests of the students.

Impacting Students

Meanwhile, the strike action is impacting hard on students of polytechnics, especially those who are in their final year and are about to graduate. Some who spoke with IQ4News expressed sadness that the strike is retarding their progress and aspirations in life.

Asiyat, a student of Kaduna polytechnic said “staying at home during the strike is boring” and lamented that “the strike has wasted my time a lot. I could have graduated since last year, if it were not for strike actions in our schools.”

Maroof, another student of the same institution said although the strike has delayed his programme, “I engage myself in some productive activities.” He believes that the strike is for the betterment of the students.
“Education generally does not require a lot of haste; I believe that this strike action is for the betterment of the students and the staff in general. But the government should intervene on time, so as to have qualitative students, as well as future leaders.”

The expressions of concern by the students have also gone to the social media, where some of them are discussing the issue on a facebook page titled “Nigeria Polytechnic Students and Alumni Community”.
One of the discussant says “the ongoing feud between the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic and Federal Government of Nigeria is in no small measure a threatening surge capable of retrogressing the hitherto cancerous Nigeria Polytechnic system into the abyss of abandonment where it obviously seem to be destined for.”
Strike action is not uncommon in Nigeria, especially in the tertiary institutions.
A number of Universities and Polytechnics are known to have loss academic sessions due to strikes. Over the years, the response of Nigerian Government to strike by sectors like education has been generally slow, it only speedily when sectors like the aviation or the oil and gas are embarking on such acts.
Source: iqnews