ASUP Strike: The True Story
This exposé reveals the facts behind the reoccurring ASUP strikes – The True Story.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP has embarked on numerous strikes. Virtually some of the administrations in Nigeria, from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to President Muhammudu Buhari, have had a taste of ASUP’s wrath, with the former describing the polytechnic lecturers as “a bunch of lazy and ungrateful people”. The latest strike action commenced in December, 2018 and is still on.
Why ASUP Was Formed
Education is said to be one of the pillars of a developing nation. Little wonder the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, on his visit to the most populous black nation in Africa, said that “education leads to improvements in employment, productivity, and wages”.
Polytechnic in Nigeria, play a pivotal role in educating a greater portion of the citizens. However, and sadly so, some factors have threatened the educational process in Nigeria. Hence, the reason for the formation of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, was formed to solve some of the challenges Nigerian Polytechnic face. Sadly, but not rightly so, the union has utilized industrial strike actions to ensure that the government pays some attention to those challenges.
The Demands Of ASUP
ASUP is currently demanding that the challenges bedeviling the tertiary institutions be solved, before the polytechnic can be reopened again.
These challenges are: poor conditions of service, salary structure, allowances, honoraria external moderation of examinations, call duty hazard fee and poor funding of polytechnics.
The issue of poor funding of polytechnics has led to infrastructural rot and decay. It is saddening to note that the hostels lack water, there is a shortage of toilets — The available ones are being shared by students in a 1:100 ratio — thus the breeding of diseases, unfinished building projects, ill-equipped laboratories, lack of internet access, overcrowded lecture halls, libraries with little quantity of books — often old, archaic, outdated — and poor ventilation, and more sadly so, the issue of under-qualified staff.
To drive home its points, and to ensure that the government comes to terms with their demands, ASUP has embarked on numerous strikes, including the outright stoppage of work by all academic staff in both Federal and State Polytechnic in Nigeria.
The History Of ASUP Strikes
In the report of the NEEDS assessment carried out , the government initially promised to release N 603 bn to polytechnics for revitalisation . Because of the long delay, the prices of items changed and there were new public polytechnics established , so the money was reviewed to over N 800 bn . At the time there was no clear roadmap by the government on how to allocate the money to the institutions in tranches.
But in 2017 , at the last agreement , the government said it was facing paucity of funds and other economic challenges , therefore it would commit itself to a revalisation fund of N 20bn to universities, N 15bn to polytechnics and N 15bn to colleges of education .
Since 2017, the money has not been released to polytechnics . It is after this initial release that we can then talk about the modalities to secure the other tranches. That was the position we took in the last 2017 agreement . The N 15 bn has not been released . It is one of the main reasons for our agitation, Dutse said .
The Negative Effects Of ASUP Strike
A popular adage says that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. The strike actions have had a heavy toll on students, as the irregular academic calendars tend to delay students, thus making them graduate at ages above 30, and in sequel, missing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme — which was made mandatory by the Federal Government.
These strike actions have also had resonating effects on examinations, horsemanship and even late admission of students into the polytechnic.
Worst still, polytechnic graduates find it difficult to get employed in the private sector, if they graduate at ages above 26 – a discriminating menace which the Federal Government, in its negligence, has failed to pass laws to curb.
The Latest ASUP Strike News
So what really is the cause of the recent strike action which started in December, last year, and has lingered on, till now? This time around, the strike is about the proposed plan by the Federal Government to establish an education bank, the plan to increase tuition fees, and the Federal Government’s failure to honour the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed by both parties in 2009.
Expressing the Union’s displeasure, the national president of ASUP , Usman Dutse, said “ASUP decided to resume a total and indefinite strike, which it suspended about a year ago, having waited patiently for action and meaningful negotiation with reasonable men, using the principle of collective bargaining”.
Reacting, the Federal Government, which had initially described the strike action as unconstitutional, later swallowed its words, when it recently appealed to the union to halt the strike.
Calling Off The ASUP Strike
Recently, series of meetings and negotiations have been ongoing, with the last meeting scheduled last week thurday, 10th January 2019 but not hold.
But, emerging indications tend to suggest that the strike action would be called off very soon, due to the fast approaching 2019 elections, as the Presidency and the ruling party — All Progressives Congress, APC — cannot both make the political blunder of allowing the strike linger, an action which may affect their performance at the polls.