The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria Chapter, has expressed concern over what it described as poor remuneration of lecturers at the institution, as the union’s strike continues.
Daily Episode gathered from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the union said the current salary structure places lecturers below members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in terms of earnings. The ASUP Chairman, Malam Usman-Shehu Suleiman, disclosed this during an interview with NAN in Zaria on Thursday.
The strike action, which began on June 16 as a one-week warning strike, has disrupted academic activities across both campuses of the institution. The joint staff unions are protesting the non-implementation of the approved National Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Salary Structure, as well as the failure to enforce the 65-year retirement age for non-teaching staff.
Suleiman, who also serves as the Chairman of the institution’s Joint Action Committee, stated that the net monthly salary of an assistant lecturer is N64,400, which is less than the monthly stipend paid to NYSC members.
He explained that the salary condition has contributed to the departure of academic staff to other institutions such as the Federal University of Transportation, Daura; Federal Polytechnic Gombe; and Kaduna State University (KASU). Suleiman cited a case in which a lecturer, after being sponsored by the institution to complete a Master’s and Ph.D programme, returned and later left due to the prevailing conditions. The lecturer, however, had signed a bond and was required to repay over N21 million to the institution.
The ASUP chairman noted that the development poses a challenge to the institution’s academic stability.
In a related development, Abubakar Aliyu-Shika, Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), NUBA Polytechnic branch, stated that the union had been demanding salary improvements since 2009. He noted that agreements were signed with the state government on June 11, 2010, and June 19, 2014, but these agreements have not been implemented beyond the signing stage.
Aliyu-Shika recalled that on December 17, 2024, Governor Uba Sani gave an assurance that the Polytechnic and College of Education Salary Structure (2024) would be implemented in the first quarter of 2025. However, as of the end of the second quarter, no action has been taken.
He also said the state government has cited limited financial resources as a reason for the delay, stating that implementation would begin once the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) improves. According to him, with a staff population of just over 900 and the recent recruitment of 500 new employees, the financial outlook appears to have changed, justifying the union’s demands.
LIKE & FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, X, INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN & YOUTUBE
