ASUP/COEASU Strikes: Good News From House of Representatives

Thousands of
students of
Polytechnics and
Colleges of
Education are
worried over the
lingering strike
embarked on by
the Academic
Staff Union of
Polytechnics,
ASUP, and the
Colleges of Education Academic Staff
Union, COEASU many months ago.
Analysts disclosed that it is only the
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics,
ASUP, Poly students that have been at
home for 206 days, while the Colleges
of Education Academic Staff Union,
COEASU, enters its 148th day.
Lately, President Goodluck Jonathan
said in a media chat that, “the striking
lecturers are being handled
appropriately.” But we do not
understand what this means exactly.
Or, exactly what is being done to
bring an end to the strikes?
According to the Vice-President of
COEASU, Mr.Smart Olugbeko: ”There
has not been any change since the
protests two weeks ago,” he said in a
telephone interview. “I am on my way
to Abuja right now for a meeting with
the Executive Secretary of the
National Commission for Colleges of
Education, NCCE. It is at that meeting
that we will schedule a meeting with
the supervising minister of education.
“It is ridiculous that that is the only
response the President could give
when asked about the strikes.
Regardless, the no work no pay policy
is not a threat to us. We are ready to
continue the struggle without pay,”
the President, Olugbeko said the
presidential chat on ‘No work, no pay’
policy towards the striking unions.
All the issues we are fighting for are
very important, but we understand
that they cannot be solved in one day.
If Government had committed to even
50 per cent of the demands, we would
have called off the strike by now. But
our leaders do not seem to care
because Colleges of Education are at
the lowest rungs of the ladder and
their children do not go there. At least
some of their relatives go to the
universities, that is why they would
make some effort if the universities
were on strike. But for Colleges of
Education, the students there are
children of the downtrodden. Many
leaders do not even see the need for
or importance of Colleges of
Education.”
For Polytechnics, however, there just
might be light at the end of this very
dark tunnel. “A delegation met with
the House of Representatives
recently, and we are hoping to hear
good news from them. A motion was
raised at the floor of the House of
Representatives during our last
protest, so we finally got to meet with
the House for the first time on the
strike issue,” the ASUP Zone D
coordinator said.
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