ASUP Strike: Union Accuses FG Of Failing To Address Demands

ASUP National President, Usman Dutse, addresses a press conference in Abuja on December 15, 2018.

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has criticised the Federal Government for allegedly paying lip service to their demands.

According to the union, this is why it decided to embark on a nationwide industrial action on December 12.

ASUP National President, Usman Dutse, gave the explanation on Saturday while giving an update on the press conference in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He noted that the government has failed to implement any of the agreements reached since 2010, even though the lecturers have suspended their strike at different stages of agitation.

The ASUP President said, “It has become pertinent to once more bring to the fore the issues in contention while tracing a recent history of our engagement with government.

“A recap of this includes a recap of the2010 Federal Government-ASUP agreement, 2014 Memorandum of Settlement, and 2017 Memorandum of Action.”

“All these documents and agreement signing with government, none of them has been implemented by the government,” he stated.

Mr Dutse vowed that the ongoing industrial action would be followed to a logical conclusion.

He, however, called for understanding on the part of students and parents who have children in polytechnics, saying the decision was to improve the system.

The ASUP President also asked Nigerians to prevail on the government to address the issues raised by the union and save the polytechnic sector from collapse.

He urged members of the union to remain steadfast in their pursuit to ensure that their demands were met by the government.

The polytechnic lecturers had embarked on a nationwide industrial action on Wednesday to protest among other things, the non-payment of members’ salaries in some states, as well as discrimination against members and graduates from polytechnics.