Lecturers in Nigeria’s polytechnics have renewed pressure on the Federal Government after institutions in the South-South and South-East threw their weight behind a strike ultimatum.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) said the 21-day notice, effective from 18 August, followed the government’s failure to honour previous agreements. The union suspended a two-week strike in December 2024 to give room for negotiations, but says little progress has been made since.
Addressing journalists after a zonal council meeting in Port Harcourt, ASUP Zone D Coordinator, Dr Illoma Richard, said unresolved issues risk pushing technical and vocational education to the “point of collapse.”
The union’s demands include approval for polytechnics to operate a dual mandate structure, creation of a dedicated regulatory commission, implementation of outstanding promotions and arrears from 2019, release of salary review arrears, and funding for campus infrastructure through NEEDS Assessment.
ASUP also protested alleged military interference in union activities at Federal Polytechnic Nekede, as well as continued discrimination against HND holders in the civil service.
“With just weeks remaining in the ultimatum, we will not hesitate to mobilise our members across the two zones if the government fails to act,” Richard said.
Zone D of ASUP covers institutions in 11 states of southern Nigeria.
