This strike has been on for several months and seems like it has no ending, as some Polytechnics are already pulling out of the strike. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has warned that the prolonged industrial action in the nation’s polytechnics will mark a major setback in Nigeria’s aspirations to improve the quality of her human capital, as the educational live of her citizens in Polytechnics have been held to a standstill by the Federal government and Polytechnics lecturers.
The LCCI chamber, while describing the strike, which has now entered its 11th month as unparalleled, noted that it was disadvantageous to the country’s overall development and human capital.
In a statement which was released by its President, Mr. Remi Bello, the chamber lamented that one of the major challenges of the Nigerian economy today is the capacity gap in technical education, and he went on to say this:
“Therefore, for activities of our polytechnics to be paralysed for close to a year is not a good commentary on our governance process,” it stated.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) also said that it believes that the matter deserves a speedy and higher level of attention than it is currently receiving from the federal government, as he also went on to add that the protracted strike has far reaching implications for the Nigerian economy and the educational system.
According to the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the strike’s consequences, among others, would include deterioration in the quality of technical education, crises of admission into the polytechnics in the new academic session as there has been no movement in the past one year, waste of public funds as the main purpose of these institutions has not been fulfilled in the past one year.
So therefore, using this platform, the chamber therefore called on the federal government and the lecturers to urgently resume dialogue and resolve the impasse by making compromises on both sides.
It stated that: “The current situation which the Polytechnics sector in Nigeria is going through is clearly unacceptable and needs to be brought to an end by both parties. The educational system has enough issues to deal with especially in the area of quality assurance.
We love also love you to note that “The industrial action by the Polytechnics lecturers can only worsen the situation. It is our hope that both parties would see reason and return to the negotiation table.”
ASUP STRIKE STATUS UPDATE:
The Academic Staff Union Of Polytechnics, ASUP embarked on an indefinite strike since October 2013.
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