No going back on strike, ASUP declares The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has said it would not go back on its indefinite strike until the federal and state governments meet its demands. Mr Chibuzor Asomugha, the National President of ASUP, who reiterated the union’s stand on the issue, while briefing newsmen in Abuja, said the action had become inevitable because only one of its demands had been partially met. The union which issued a 21-day ultimatum on March 25, is asking the government to look into many of its demands. Among other things the union is calling for the release of white paper on the visitation panel to federal polytechnics. The ultimatum expired on April 22, with the subsequent declaration of a one-week warning strike and an indefinite strike on April 29. Asomugha said the polytechnic sector in the country’s educational system had groaned under a myriad of problems for long, adding that this had hampered the creation of “a viable platform for the sector to grow”. He said: “We are faced with feeble and moribund infrastructure on our campuses, with no serious challenge to motivate research and learning. Government’s budgetary provisions for the polytechnic sector in Nigeria reflect a deep neglect of the sector. The indicators of this abysmal neglect are as strong as reflected in the 2012 budget. “As I address you today, only one of our demands, that is, the constitution of Governing Councils has been partially met. There is no genuine effort towards addressing the rest, beyond bureaucratic rhetoric.” Asomugha said it had become very difficult for the union to appreciate government’s sincere commitment in handling the problems in spite of repeated notices and appeals, adding that government could have tackled the issues involved before “we embarked on indefinite strike”.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:43:24 +0000
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