The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to immediately review and reverse all decisions inconsistent with the provisions of the Polytechnics Act and other governance instruments in the sub-sector.

The Zone B Chairman of the union, Lumpye Simji, who disclosed this to journalists, expressed concern over ongoing reports of impunity and disregard for clear provisions of the Federal Polytechnics Act, various edicts establishing state-owned institutions, and other governance instruments.

This particularly affects the appointment of principal officers in both federal and state-owned institutions, as well as other governance issues in polytechnics.

Specifically, Simji accused the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) of overstepping its bounds by intruding into the regular functions of the Academic Boards of Polytechnics, particularly concerning the admission of Higher National Diploma students within the Nigerian polytechnic system.

The union demanded immediate commencement of the review process for the suspended scheme of service for polytechnics as agreed during a meeting of all parties last July.

It also called for the release of the second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment intervention funds for public polytechnics and colleges of technology.

Additionally, the union insisted on the cessation of all actions that undermine or duplicate the responsibilities of academic boards of polytechnics in student admissions, as demonstrated by the recent launch of a student admission portal by the NBTE.

It further demanded the inclusion of the negotiated peculiar academic allowance in the budget under the post-Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) template for its members, as well as the immediate implementation of the approved 25 to 35 per cent salary review across all tertiary institutions and payment of accrued arrears.