FG Is Playing Lip Service To The Polytechnic Sector – ASUP

Polytechnic lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP have come out to say that FG is devaluing polytechnics in the country.

The National President, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe recently revealed this via a statement, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, the lecturers will not go on strike if the government had their interests at heart, and the strike is simply a protest against the disposition of the government to the sector.

He added that FG has been playing lip service to the sector and there has not been enough respect and recognition for what polys do in Nigeria.

His words, “We met with the government team on the first day of the strike, that is on April 6 and we were invited for another round of meetings on April 14 and 15. On April 14, we met with the Minister of State, Education and we were supposed to meet with the Minister of Labour on April 15. Unfortunately, the meeting with the Labour Minister could not hold because the minister was not around.”

“But for the April 14 meeting, we had some discussions and received some offers from the government and we are awaiting certain things to be done before the offers would be presented to our National Executive Council for consideration. As you know, the first meeting held on the day the strike started and that led to the constitution of Governing Councils for the polytechnics and the inauguration of the members during the week.”

“The attitude of the government has not been good enough and we have been saying that long ago. If their attitude has been good, we wouldn’t have been on strike. The strike is a protest against the disposition of the government to the sector. Government has been playing lip service to the sector and there has not been enough respect and recognition for the sector. That is primarily why the sector is experiencing funding, regulatory, administrative and other challenges. And that is the reason why we are on strike.”