…according to the academic staff union of polytechnic, all efforts to engage the Imo state government in dialogue have failed.
Owerri, Nigeria — The iNews Times, The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Imo State Polytechnic Chapter, has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Imo State Government, warning that it will embark on an indefinite strike if long-standing grievances, including 14 months of unpaid salaries and delayed pension enrollment, remain unresolved.
The union accused the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma of neglecting the welfare of its academic staff, blocking promotional benefits, and denying management staff access to official imprest. According to ASUP, all efforts to engage the government in dialogue have failed.
In a statement released after its quarterly congress, ASUP Chairman J.C. Offurum said the union had been pushed to the brink by years of unresolved issues. He explained that the government’s handling of staff welfare had become intolerable, forcing the union to consider industrial action as the only remaining option.
“It has become unbearable that we tilt towards an aggressive call for action as a means of drawing the attention of His Excellency to the chronic issues that have kept us behind realities in the scheme of things for many years,” the statement read. “Several of our problems have become too chronic, though solvable with His Excellency’s approvals.”
One of the union’s major grievances is the improper placement of staff, which it described as a persistent problem that has created inequality and internal conflict. ASUP noted that some junior employees currently earn more than long-serving staff with equal or even superior qualifications, a situation it said undermines morale and disrupts organisational harmony.
The union added that while some workers celebrated the recent implementation of the new minimum wage in the state, many Imo Poly staff wore “moody faces” due to these distortions.
ASUP also condemned what it described as deliberate government attempts to prevent staff from accessing the state pension scheme, despite previous agreements. It lamented that many retired staff members remain unregistered and unpaid, leaving some in severe hardship.
“For this important denial, the majority of our retired colleagues are gasping out of want, while many have already passed away due to severe economic hardship and frustration,” the statement added. The union noted that multiple appeals to the Governor’s Office had yielded no results.
In addition to pension issues, ASUP highlighted the selective payment of salaries for March and April 2018 and February 2020. The union alleged that despite submitting the necessary documentation, several staff members were excluded without explanation.
“It is unheard of that some of our colleagues, amidst other challenges, have been without salaries for over the past 48 months, yet they continue to work and attend to their duties,” Offurum stated.
ASUP further criticised the continued delay in the release of annual promotions for 2023 and 2024, insisting that denial of career progression was worsening staff frustration. The union demanded the immediate release of the promotion list in line with practices across other tertiary institutions.
On the issue of unpaid imprest, the union reiterated that it would no longer tolerate a system where academic administrators must self-finance official duties. It argued that such practices were unprofessional and harmful to institutional growth.
Despite the mounting challenges, ASUP maintained that its members had remained committed to the governor’s educational agenda. However, it warned that continued neglect could no longer be tolerated.
“The lack of commensurate reciprocity for our unflinching commitment to service has compelled us to request better attention, which will be proportional to our inputs to duty, in line with the shared prosperity mantra of the state government,” the union said.
