Polytechnics May Resume Today As ASUP’s NEC Meets Today

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, may call off its strike which has been on for the past 80 days today, as members of ASUP’s National Executive Council, NEC, hold an emergency meeting, to appraise the situation. “There has been a green light on the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS) 15,” ASUP Chairman, Dr. Chibuzor Asumogba, yesterday, said. “We have strong reason to believe that CONTISS 15 will soon be implemented. But it is at our National Executive Council (NEC) meeting tomorrow (today) that we will determine whether or not to call off the strike,” he added. The emergency ASUP NEC meeting, which holds at the Labour House in Abuja, is sequel to the intervention of the Joint House Committee on Education into the strike. The committee, the Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’i and his Labour and Productivity counterpart, Chief Emeka Wogu, had met with the union on July 9, urging them to call-off the strike. Speaking to News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, earlier in Lagos, Asumogba said “the NEC is meeting to appraise the progress made so far, following the meeting held with the committee on education. We have received a green light on the CONTISS 15 and we have promises here and there on other demands. The committee on education is proactive in addressing our demands. The committee is highly placed and with its members’ integrity, we have no doubt that our demands will be addressed.” ASUP had gone on strike citing the failure of the federal and state governments to implement agreements on issues affecting polytechnic education. ASUP wants a full implementation of CONTISS 15 and a stop to discrimination against holders of the Higher National Diploma. The union is also protesting the absence of a National Polytechnics Commission and the deplorable condition of many polytechnics in Nigeria; grievances which now seem ASUP has been promised would be addressed.