The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve key challenges affecting polytechnic education across Nigeria.
The union’s president, Shammah Kpanja, spoke to journalists in Abuja on Friday, urging the Federal Ministry of Education to expedite the transmission of the executive bill to the National Assembly. He warned that failure to meet the union’s demands could trigger a nationwide strike, disrupting academic activities.
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ASUP’s demands include the establishment of a National Polytechnics Commission, aimed at creating a regulatory body specifically for polytechnics, similar to those overseeing universities and colleges of education. The union also called for an end to discrimination against Higher National Diploma (HND) holders compared to university degree holders, and for full implementation of the 2010 ASUP-Federal Government agreement, including payment of Peculiar Academic Allowance and a 25–35% salary review.
Additionally, the union seeks reforms in polytechnic quality assurance processes to make them more transparent and professionally managed.
Other concerns highlighted by ASUP include economic hardship faced by polytechnic lecturers due to unmet agreements, delays in releasing the second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment Intervention Fund, and non-implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage in state-owned polytechnics in several states.
ASUP stressed that if the government fails to address these issues within the 21-day period, it may declare a trade dispute and withdraw services in public polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide.
