ASUP Finally Calls of Strike After 81 Days

Students demonstrating during the strike

Respite came for students of polytechnics across the country as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP called off its strike  yesterday(Tuesday).ASUP Chairman Dr. Chibuzor Asumogba yesterday affirmed that the ASUP strike has been called off. This was made known in a phone interview he had with journalists yesterday .He  said the decision was made by the National Executive Committee of the Union. This was as a result of ASUP’s meeting with  the joint committee of the Senate and House of representatives on education. He also said that the union gave the government one month to respond to their demands and release the white paper on visitation panel to federal polytechnics.

The ASUP chairman however called on lecturers to resume work “All lecturers are to resume work at their various institution today”, he said.

The strike was embarked upon because, the federal government had refused to resolve pressing issues concerning the nation’s polytechnics,such as; non-constitution of governing councils for Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Technology, non-release of government white paper of the visitation panels to the federal polytechnics and non-commencement of the NEED Assessments of the Nigerian polytechnics.

It also described the state of the state government-owned polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of technology across the country as worrisome; and frowned at the appointment of unqualified persons as Rectors and Provosts by some state governments. The strike lasted for 81 days.