Nigeria's polytechnic system faces an imminent crisis as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a stern 15-day ultimatum to the federal government, threatening to shut down all polytechnics across the country if their demands are not met. The union’s threat comes after years of unresolved issues, with tensions now reaching a boiling point.
At a press briefing following an emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Thursday, October 5, 2024, ASUP President, Comrade Shamnah Kpanja, addressed journalists, expressing the union’s frustration with the government’s failure to address critical grievances. He announced that the 15-day countdown would begin on Monday, October 7, and hinted at a complete paralysis of Nigeria’s polytechnic system if the government continues to ignore their demands.
One of the union's primary concerns is what they describe as the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) overstepping its bounds by interfering in the admission process for Higher National Diploma (HND) programs, a function typically reserved for the polytechnics' academic boards. Kpanja condemned this usurpation, vowing that ASUP would not allow such an overreach to continue. “This is unacceptable and an attack on the autonomy of our academic boards,” he said.
Kpanja also outlined other critical issues driving the union’s discontent. Among these is the government’s failure to review the controversial and suspended document titled “Schemes of Service for Polytechnics,” a document that defines the career path and conditions of service for polytechnic staff. Additionally, the union is aggrieved over the non-release of a promised second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment intervention funds, which are meant to address the deteriorating infrastructure in polytechnics across the nation.
ASUP has reportedly exhausted all diplomatic channels, having engaged the government through negotiations, meetings, and consultations, but all efforts have been fruitless. Now, with the clock ticking, the union appears ready to make good on its threat, potentially plunging Nigeria’s polytechnic system into chaos.
Meanwhile, the Academy Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has sounded a dire warning to Nigerians, placing the blame squarely on the Federal Government if the nation's public universities face another catastrophic shutdown due to an impending strike. The union made its stance clear through a statement issued by the ASUU-Nsukka Zone on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 in Makurdi, raising concerns about the government's lack of commitment to addressing long-standing issues that continue to plague Nigeria's higher education system.
