ASUU: Nigeria in hopeless state, situation worse than in 1984

• Poly teachers issue two-week strike notice to FG

Contrary to the renewed hope mantra of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said Nigeria has been plunged into a ‘hopeless state’ as a result of corruption and bad governance.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this on Thursday at the 2024 Edition of ASUU State of the Nation Conference held in Abuja.

According to him, the conference with the theme ‘Nigeria in a State of General Crisis: The Search for a New Path to Development’ was convened to address the present hopeless state of the country as part of ASUU’s patriotic contribution towards recovering the country back to the Nigerian people.

Osodeke warned that the present foreign-controlled governance system that only serves the interest of a few predators, primitive accumulators and foreign organisations needs to be changed.

He said: “As the nation celebrates its 64th independence anniversary and looking back, it is sad to note that the situation is worse off today when compared to 1984.
Nigeria is too rich for Nigerians to languish in excruciating poverty.”

MEANWHILE, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has handed down a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve their long-standing industrial dispute or face a strike.

National president of the association, Shammah Kpanja, who disclosed this in Abuja yesterday at the end of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, accused the government of impunity and disrespect for provisions of the Federal Polytechnics Act, different edicts establishing state-owned institutions, and other instruments of governance in the sector.

The union also frowned on the appointment of principal officers in federal and state-owned polytechnics, as well as other items of power in these learning institutions.

Kpanja listed non-review of the contentious but suspended schemes of service for polytechnics, non-release of conditions of service and non-release of the second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment intervention funds.

ASUP also demanded the immediate commencement of the review process of the suspended document titled ‘Schemes of service for Polytechnics 2023’ as agreed in the tripartite meeting of July 2024. It equally called on the government to release the second tranche of the NEEDS Assessment intervention for public polytechnics and colleges of technology.

The union solicited the immediate implementation of the approved 25/35 per cent salary review across all public polytechnics and the payment of the accrued arrears. It urged the Federal Government to address its concerns and thereby issued a 15-day ultimatum, which commences from October 7.

At the expiration of the 15-day ultimatum, he said, “NEC would reconvene to decide a specific and legitimate course and design of action to address the issues listed.”