For
More Mass Actions Uniting SSANIP, ASUP and NAPS in Struggle
By
Lateef Adams
Members of the Senior Staff
Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) in the Southwest Zone on Tuesday
June 4 converged at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, for a
protest rally and a news conference to press home their demands and call on the
Federal government to implement the agreement, known as CONTISS-15, it reached
with the union in 2009.
SSANIP together with ASUP (Academic
Staff Union of Polytechnics) has been on strike since April 17 over the failure
of the government to meet their demands which also include issues such as
improved pay, working conditions, discrimination against Polytechnic graduates,
establishment of special commission to regulate polytechnic education, and
funding of polytechnic education.
The rally, which was led by the
Peter Jegede, the National Secretary of the Union and Adebanjo Ogunsipe, the
Southwest Coordinator, drew about 300 participants from a good number of
polytechnics in the southwest Nigeria, though dominated by the members from
Yabatech.
The members of DSM through the
Education Rights Campaign (ERC) actively participated at the rally to show
solidarity to the striking workers. Their strike action has now entered the 7th
week without government showing concern about the demand of the workers and the
plight of students who have been forced to stay at home.
The ERC has been intervening in the
strike since its inception. On May 21, the ERC participated actively in a
solidarity protest called by the National Association of Polytechnic Students
(NAPS) in Abuja. On May 29 which is Nigeria's annual "Democracy Day",
a protest called by the ERC in Minna Niger State, North-central Nigeria was
foiled by heavy militarization of the city. In Lagos, ERC's active intervention
in the strike in form of independent leafleting around Polytechnic campuses is
beginning to resonate with the striking workers as well as students - a few of
whom are already showing interest in joining us.
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| ERC members join the protest |
The June 4 protest started from the
main campus (YABATECH) to the federal civil service club Yaba where the press
conference was held. The demonstration did not end there as it continued
shortly after the press briefing to the popular Herbert Macaulay way.
At the press conference, the
leadership of the union raised the issues in contention with government and
called for the solidarity from the general masses, students and parents. They
highlighted the poor conditions of polytechnics and called for improvement in
the funding of the polytechnic education.
 |
| At the Press Conference |
Speaking for the ERC and DSM,
Comrade Chinedu Bosah praised the effort of the striking workers for boldly
struggling against the collapse of polytechnic education in Nigeria. While
commenting on the demands of SSANIP, he mentioned that the establishment of NPC
will not change anything if the same ruling class and/or their appointees are
allowed to constitute the body. He therefore urged the union to demand for the
NPC to be democratically constituted by elected representatives of unions in
polytechnics.
 | |
| Chinedu Bosah giving ERC and DSM solidarity message |
He also urged SSANIP to call for the support of other unions, the
wider labour movement like the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade
Union Congress (TUC) and students to join their struggle in order to give more
weight and compel the government to meet its demands.
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