POLYTECHNICS STRIKE: NAPS, NANS CALL ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR URGENT INTERVENTION

THE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), have called on the Federal Government, to as a matter of urgency, intervene in the nationwide strike embarked upon by all the three unions in the nation’s polytechnics.

It will be recalled that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and the Non- Academic Staff Union (NASU) are currently on industrial action over government’s refusal to implement agreements it signed, aimed at rejuvenating the polytechnic system. The president-elect of NAPS, Mr Ogbonnaya Sunday, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune, shortly after the union’s national convention, held at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the weekend, said the strike had grounded all activities in the polytechnics.

He said:  “We are begging the Federal Government to look into ASUP’s recommendations and come up with a commendable stand so that this strike can be called off. .. “Gone are the days we use violence to get what we want. We believe in three Cs— consultation, consolidation and confrontation.
 “Like I said, we will not confront, but will make sure that we exhaust our two Cs— consultation and consolidation. It is when those two fails, then we will consider the last option.”

The NANS Senate President, Donald Onukaogu, admonished President Goodluck Jonathan, to take seriously the welfare of civil servants and warned the leadership of ASUP not to politicise its demand from government...

 Onukaogu said: “We have had a press conference on that issue and we told government clearly that staff welfare is important. The hallmark of any virile education sector is having a well-mobilised workforce. “We have equally told the ASUP that it should not politicise its demands. It should not make demands and go on strike over every little thing. It must always face the reality. “It must consider the financial strength of the country, what is achievable and workable before making its demands?”....

 Written by Olayinka Olukoya