ASUP Strike: ASUP and FG Meeting Postponed To 1st July AS FG Officials Didn’t Make it

The 24th of June was a day all polytechnics students were waiting and anticipating for to come, because the students, Parents and Guardian hopes that the striking Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, would go back to classrooms after yesterday’s scheduled meeting, which the striking lecturers, the Senate Committee of Education and other stakeholders agreed to meet, but once again, the hope of all Nigerians affected in one way or the way by the strike was again been dashed.

Faith, the Dailyschoolnews Nigeria correspondent, was able to gather that the proposed meeting between members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP and the Government Officials, which was scheduled for Tuesday 24 June has been postponed officially by the board.

The Meeting which was called by the Senate committee of Education did not hold.

The senate committee called off the meeting and adjourn it to the 1st of July 2014, which is Tuesday next week, following the failure of the Education minister and other relevant agencies of the government failure to end the industrial crisis in the polytechnics.

The Nigeria polytechnics strike, which in October, will be celebrating one year of existence, is still not seeing any light of been called off, as none of the key issues has been significantly resolved by the federal government.

The Academic staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) executive members said that the meetings with the Ministry of Education and its leadership have yielded no fruitful results. The Senate intervention is seen as the next big hope for resolution to enable the students to resume their education.

This information was sent to our correspondent, from the desk of the National President of the striking lecturers’ union, Chibuzo Asomugha, who stated that the absence of key stakeholders stalled the meeting, and no progress was made.

Dailychoolnews.com.ng correspondent was able to gathered that the following ministers,
* Ministers of Labour,
* Minister of Education,
* Secretary to the Federal Government

had been invited to the meeting alongside the Secretary to the Federal Government, Anyim Pius Anyim but none of the duo was present at the venue of the meeting in Abuja FCT.

Asomugha, who was angry at the snubbing, told our correspondent this, which we would love to quote:

“There was no meeting because of the absence of several key members whom the committee expected to meet with.
It’s a shame that we could not have them present here but there is little we can do about it.
This particular meeting has been rescheduled for next week Tuesday, 1st July and hopefully, other stakeholders earlier invited would be present then for the deliberations”.

However, when we contacted the supervising Minister for Education, Nyesom Wike, blatantly refused to speak with our correspondent on the issue as he claimed to be in a meeting, which he never came out from (lol) because his assistant told us since 11 hours ago that he’s in a meeting.

“You can call me back, I am in a meeting presently,” his correspondent disclosed.

The striking lecturers’ attention will now be shifted to their National Executive Council, NEC meeting, which has been scheduled for the 25th and 26th of June, 2014 at the Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, Akoka, Lagos.

Here’s Asomugha exact words which is quoted below.

“Our NEC meeting holds irrespective of whether there was a strike action or not. So we shall meet at YABATECH tomorrow, which is Thursday to deliberate on pressing issues,”.

One notable notion which the union is demanding and is been supported by millions of Nigerians, is an “end to the HND/B.Sc dichotomy”.

It’s important that you are aware, that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has been on strike since the 4th of October, 2013.