Nigerian Polytechnic Lecturers Suspends Two-Week Strike Embarked Upon Over Failure To Meet Members’ Demands

The umbrella body of polytechnic lecturers in Nigeria, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has announced the suspension of two weeks nationwide strike it embarked on at the end of November over the Nigerian government’s failure to meet its members’ demands.

The Union, which in a statement issued by its President, Shammah Kpanja, directed its members to resume work across the country on Monday, said that it reached a new agreement with the President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Kpanja stated that the Union signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian government at a reconciliation meeting held with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on December 9.

The ASUP boss said, “Members of the Union and indeed the general public may recall that our Union declared a 2 week definite strike effective 2nd December, 2024 over the inability of the government through its agencies to execute nine items in the work plan jointly developed with our Union to resolve some pending issues of trade dispute.

“You will also recall that a strike was declared to serve as a warning and precursor to an indefinite strike.

“Within the period of the strike, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment convened a conciliation meeting between our Union and the government on the 9th December, 2024 to resolve the dispute and save the sector from the impending indefinite strike.

“At the meeting, a new memorandum of understanding was signed with a caveat that another meeting will be held on 23rd January, 2025 to assess compliance by parties as well as to address other issues.

“After this meeting, the Union’s National Executive Council will meet to review the situation.

“In view of this development, all members of the Union are directed to resume duties from Monday 16th December, 2024.”

SaharaReporters had reported that the Union in November directed its members to shut down all polytechnics nationwide for two weeks from December 2, 2024, due to the Nigerian Government’s failure to meet its members’ demands.

The Union said that it had on October 6, 2024, issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Nigerian Government, outlining pressing demands aimed at resolving the systemic challenges that hinder the progress of polytechnics but the government failed to address the issues.