Chairmen, governing councils of federal polytechnics have voted to mediate in the dispute between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), with a view to ending the lingering strike action.
Chairman of the forum of Polytechnics Governing Council Chairmen, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, who led his members on a courtesy visit to the Supervising Minister of Education Nyesom Wike, said that his members had earlier been briefed exhaustively by the Executive Secretary of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. Mash’d Kazaure, on the steps taken so far towards resolving the issues in contention, saying that their visit was to enable them hear from the Minister himself.
Chief Babatope after receiving an update from the Minister expressed confidence that the Federal Government would keep to the commitments it has made to the leadership of the Union. He therefore urged the Union to give the Federal Government benefit of the doubt.
The Minister had restated that the Federal Government offered to pay the outstanding arrears of over 20 billion naira in two installments’, which the Union is opposed to.
Wike expressed disappointment over the hard stance of the union regarding government decisions and policies, citing the IPPIS which he said were to ensure prudence and accountability.
