NAPS wants ASUP to call off strike
As the ongoing strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) paralyses academic activities in Polytechnics across Nigeria, the National Association of Polytechnic students (NAPS) has appealed to the Federal Government and ASUP to give room for dialogue and amicable resolution of the crisis.
NAPS in a communiqué issued at the end of the 2017 international Students Day at Auchi Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State, stated that all agreements made between ASUP and the FG should be fast tracked to restore academic harmony to affected institutions failing which the students would be compelled to embark on massive protest across the country. The students said an emphatic no to strike actions describing them as time wasters and killers of destinies.
The students body which touched on several national issues including the just concluded Anambra state gubernatorial poll, and the need to sustain the N-power scheme having regard to the fact that Nigerian students remain top beneficiaries, passed a vote of confidence on the office of the Rector, Federal Polytechnic Auchi Dr Momodu Sanusi Jimah for his purposeful programmes in the institution which have ended all forms of bribery on campus.
NAPS noted that because of the Auchi Polytechnic rector’s vision towards achieving a greater Auchi Poly in terms of ongoing improvement of existing facilities in the institution, the Federal Government should confirm Dr Jimah as the substantive rector of the school.
The communiqué signed by NAPS National president Comrade Eneji Mohammed Abdulhamd, Comrade Sunday Adekambi national Senate President and Comrade Edobor Samuel Freedom, National Vice President appealed to be the Kwara State government and management of Kwara Polytechnic to reverse recent increment in tuition fees immediately and emulate the landmark achievements of the acting rector of Auchi Poly even without any increment in tuition fee.
The students warned against surreptitious attempts by any institution to increase her tuition fee saying that any such moves would be totally rejected by the student populace.
On the dichotomy between BSC and HND, the students’ body reassured of its commitment to sustain the good fight against the dichotomy until the barrier is flushed out of the nation’s educational system in Nigeria.
On the International Students Day celebration, NAPS commended the entire Polytechnic students both at home and in the diaspora for believing and sustaining the Polytechnic structure in the country.
Speaking earlier at a ceremony to mark the International Students Day in Auchi Polythenic on Monday,Dr E S Eshiobo Dean Students Affairs, while commending the students for having a successful outing, went down memory lane as regards the origin of the celebration.
By Titus Akhigbe,Benin
