FG moves to end ASUP’S strike

Federal Government yesterday through two of its ministries, Ministry of Education and Labour and Employment eventually reached out to the striking Polytechnics lecturers after nine days that the industrial action has commenced for meetings today and tomorrow.
Recall that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) began an indefinite strike action on Tuesday, April 5 based on government’s failure to respect collective bargaining agreement earlier reached on 13 points agenda.
The President of ASUP, Ezeibe Anderson on Tuesday informed Daily Sun that the meeting with the Ministry of Education will hold this morning with the Minister for State, while that with the Ministry of Labour and Employment is scheduled to hold with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige on Thursday.
He said, “ASUP has been invited to the following meetings: Wednesday, 14/4/2021: Meeting with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education by 11 a.m at the Conference room of the Honorable Minister for State
“Thursday, 15/4/2021. Meeting with the Federal Ministry of Labour and employment fixed for 10 a.m at the conference room of the Honorable Minister of Labour and Employment.”
Anderson has earlier said that the government is not sincere about reconciling with the Polytechnics lecturers as it recently violated one of the agreement on the appointment of rectors for the Polytechnics.
“Our Union’s attention has been drawn to a recent press statement from the Federal Ministry of Education announcing the appointment of Rectors and other principal officers for the 6 new Federal Polytechnics situated in Enugu, Oyo, Cross River, Plateau, Borno and Benue states.
“The appointment of Rectors for these polytechnics are in violation of provisions of the Federal Polytechnics (Amendment) Act, 2019 as 5 out of the 6 new rectors are NOT qualified for the positions having fallen short of the requirements captured in Section 8, 2 (a) i of the Act,” he has said.
Based on this, ASUP President has said that the union would only sit with the Government if the appointments were reversed.
According to him, “A rundown of the profiles of the beneficiaries of this latest act of impunity shows that 5 out of the 6 persons do not fit into the requirements of the law for appointment of Rectors in Federal Polytechnics in the country. These beneficiaries include the appointees for Federal Polytechnics Ohodo (Enugu), Ugep (Cross River), Shendam (Plateau), Monguno (Borno), and Wannune (Benue).
It is regrettable that the government, through officials of the Federal Ministry of Education has become principal violators of the laws governing the operations of Nigerian Polytechnics. 
This latest assault is despite the contents of a recent ruling of the National Industrial Court in Abuja where the provisions of the Federal Polytechnics (Amendment) Act, 2019 was affirmed by the court and the Federal Ministry of Education and her officials undertaking to observe the provisions in totality.”
Though federal government through the Ministry of Education on Monday said the appointments was not within the purview of ASUP, the union has insisted that it was done despite the contents of the judgment of the court in NICN/ABJ/12/2020 involving the union and the Attorney General of the Federation, Honorable Minister for Education and 5 others in a similar issue.
He said, “Our Union had drawn the attention of the Federal Ministry of Education on the need to adhere to the provisions of the law in this appointment process more than 1 month before this recent naked display of impunity.
“This unfortunate development however underlines the essence of our union’s current engagement with the government as we are determined to reverse this ugly trend of 
administering Nigerian Polytechnics outside extant laws and regulations.” 
He has said that with this latest development, the Nigerian public should hold the government responsible for any escalation of the union’s current industrial action towards a protracted crisis.
“We are therefore demanding the withdrawal of these appointments so as to usher in a process of appointment in alignment with the provisions of the law. This shall also serve as a confidence boosting measure in resolving the union’s current dispute with the government,” he stated.