ASUP Issues 21-Day Ultimatum to FG, Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Lingering Sectoral Issues

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to address a series of longstanding challenges affecting the polytechnic education system, warning that failure to act could lead to a nationwide strike disrupting academic activities across the country.

At the forefront of ASUP’s demands is the creation of a National Polytechnics Commission—akin to existing regulatory bodies for universities and colleges of education. The union expressed frustration over delays in the legislative process required to establish the commission. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, ASUP President Comrade Shammah Kpanja urged the Federal Ministry of Education to fast-track the executive bill’s transmission to the National Assembly.

Kpanja also criticized the government’s reliance on external consultants for accreditation in polytechnics, raising concerns about the qualifications and professionalism of some of those engaged. He reiterated the union’s long-standing demand for the elimination of discrimination against Higher National Diploma (HND) holders in comparison to university graduates, arguing that such disparities demoralize polytechnic graduates and hinder the sector’s progress.

The union further decried the economic hardship faced by polytechnic lecturers, citing the government’s delay in honoring components of the 2010 ASUP-FGN agreement. These include unpaid Peculiar Academic Allowances and the non-implementation of the approved 25–35% salary increase, despite its inclusion in the national budget. ASUP also condemned the removal of certain entitlements from the budget and criticized the lack of action from key government agencies such as the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and the Ministry of Education.

Conditions in state-owned polytechnics were described as even worse, with several states yet to implement the ₦70,000 national minimum wage. The union also expressed concern over the delay in disbursing the second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment fund, noting that the utilization of the first tranche has yet to be properly reviewed. ASUP called for a more transparent and professionally driven quality assurance process in polytechnics and pressed for the reactivation of negotiations on the 2010 agreement, particularly regarding unresolved issues like CONTISS 15 arrears and promotion backlogs dating as far back as 2014 and 2019.

ASUP’s National Executive Council resolved to issue the 21-day ultimatum after reviewing the persistent inaction on these critical issues. The union warned that it might be forced to initiate a nationwide industrial action across all public polytechnics and monotechnics if the government fails to respond within the stipulated timeframe.