Hopes that the striking Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, would go back to classrooms after yesterday’s scheduled meeting of the lecturers with the Joint Committee of the National Assembly and other stakeholders have once again been dashed.
This was because the meeting was postponed till end of the month following the absence of relevant ministers.
Yesterday’s meeting was reportedly fixed about two weeks ago, following cries from parents, guardians, students and other stakeholders in the sector that students of polytechnics have lost over a year, following alleged insensitivity of the relevant authorities to the plight of the students.
ASUP has now been on strike for 337 days, while students of colleges of education have remained at home since last December.
A stakeholder from the COEASU camp, who.....
spoke on the botched meeting, told Vanguard: ‘’We were already at the meeting this afternoon when we were informed that it had been adjourned.
“Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, his counterpart in the Ministry of Labour and productivity, Emeka Wogu, and other key government officials, were absent.
“Other relevant government agencies expected at the meeting were the Minister of Finance and representatives from the Salaries and Wages Commission. Because of their absence, the meeting has been adjourned to Tuesday, July 1.’’
ASUP had at its National Executive Council, NEC meeting two weeks ago, expressed hopes that the issues at stake will soon be resolved in view of an earlier intervention of the National Assembly.
COEASU sources believed that yesterday’s meeting would be the final intervention to settle the grievances of the unions.
In an earlier interview, ASUP President, Dr. Chibuzor Asomugha, had expressed optimism that the meeting would see “the Federal Government making a legitimate commitment to funding CONTISS 15” among other issues.
Culled - Vanguard
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