FG Will Pay N20.8Bn Arrears Owed To Polytechnic Staff – Wike.

The latest update on the 2013 ASUP strike update is that the
Supervising Minister for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, said the
Federal Government would pay the N20.8 billion arrears owed to
polytechnic staff as soon as the procedure for payment was concluded.
Wike made this known at a meeting with the Committee of
Pro-Chancellors of Federal Polytechnics in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the Federal Government had met over 80 per cent of the demands
of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).
According to him, the only thing left to be done is the release of the
white-paper on the implementation of their demands.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ASUP embarked on strike
on Oct. 4 after expressing its disappointment at the Federal
Government's `cold attitude' to polytechnic education in Nigeria.
He said that contrary to insinuations by the union, the present
administration held the polytechnic staff in high esteem.
Hence, the setting up of the Needs Assessment to determine the level
of decay in schools and how much would be needed by the Federal
Government to revive the institutions, he said.
The minister called on the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal
Polytechnics to mediate in the impasse between the Federal Government
and ASUP to ensure that Nigerian students return to schools.
He, however, urged the committee to work toward ensuring that the
institutions return to their original mandate of producing skilled
medium level manpower to drive the economy.
Earlier, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Chairman of the committee of
pro-chancellors, called on the minister to facilitate the resolution
of the strike by the ASUP.
He also called on the ministry to work toward the release of the white
paper of the Visitation Panels to Federal Polytechnics and pay arrears
owed to polytechnic staff.
The meeting was attended by officials of the National Board for
Technical Education and chairmen of 14 governing councils of
polytechnics.

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