ASUP Strike Update: ASUP vows to continue strike despite FG ₦15bn offer

Anderson Ezeibe, National President of ASUP, insists that the union's proposed strike must go ahead until all demands are met by the Federal Government.

Despite the Federal Government's offer of $15 billion, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has vowed to continue its nationwide strike.

On April 6, ASUP declared a strike, demanding the implementation of a new salary scheme for polytechnic lecturers.

ASUP explained that its decision to down tool was made to draw the government's attention to the union's nine basic needs, including the need to release the ten months in arrears of the new minimum wage owed its members in Federal Polytechnics, as well as the implementation of the new minimum wage in the several states that have yet to do so.

But briefing journalists on Friday in Abuja, ASUP’s President, Anderson Ezeibe, said the strike will still continue.

“Our union received offers from the government during the meetings for the release of an infrastructural revitalisation fund of ₦15billion for the sector and this is in lieu of the NEEDS Assessment report of 2014,” he said.

“Following the considerations of the offers as presented, the National Executive Council of our union yesterday resolved to sustain the strike action until the unresolved details in the offer as presented are sorted out in the meetings expected in the coming days.”

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The aim of ASUP's decision to use the down tool was to draw the attention of the public. Ezeibe went on to say that two of the three planned meetings with the Federal Government had taken place, and that some of the demands had been met, including the release of ten months' salary arrears for members, among other things.

Reconstitution and inauguration of the governing councils of all federal polytechnics, which were disbanded in 2020, were among the demands met.

The strike would only be called off if the FG actually follows through with any of the offers, according to ASUP's president.