Polytechnic students beg lecturers, threaten 'callous' governors for salary delay

Polytechnic students in Nigeria have called on the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) not to go through with is its planned strike action.

The National Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Damola Olugbode, made the call following recent threats by ASUP to embark on another industrial action over the non-payment of salaries and arrears of its members teaching at some state owned polytechnics.

Olugbode told Daily Times that NAPS aligns itself with the lecturer's demands, but it wants ASUP to shelve the planned strike because polytechnics are yet to recover from the last nationwide strike that lasted for over a year.

“Considering that the polytechnic community is yet to recover from the 13 months nationwide strike which paralyzed the 2013/2014 academic session, which boils down to loss of students and the highest price payer during and after the strike, NAPS cannot afford seeing the students staying back at home or watch our future altered or joked with," Olugbode said.

“We solidarize and join the staff union in condemning the callous act of state governments owning lecturers for as much as eight to ten months; we declare our support to the union getting their pay from concerned state governments by other means rather than closing our institutions."

READ: Restore our salary structure or we strike, polytechnics warn Shekarau

He called on the debtor governments to immediately payment of the owed monies or face student action.

"With all patriotism, we implore all concerned state governments to as a matter of urgency see to the payment of all salaries/ allowances arrears owed," he added.

"Any further delay will call for mass solidarity action, students will be forced to take to the streets to seek payment of our lecturers and academic resumption of affected institutions."

READ: Pay our members, don’t divert funds, ASUP warns governors

In July, ASUP National Publicity Secretary, Clement Chairman, warned governors who owe workers’ salaries against using the bailout funds approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for capital projects or other political purposes.

States like Plateau, Benue, Osun and Oyo among others, owe polytechnic staff up to ten months salaries.