ASUP President calls for immediate release of Abia Polytechnic staff promotions

October 4, 2017

By Ijendu Iheaka

The National President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Mr Usman Dutse has called on the Abia state government to urgently release the promotion of Abia State Polytechnic staff to motivate them.

Dutse made this call while speaking with newsmen after the opening ceremony of the 89the National Executive Council Meeting of ASUP held at Abia State Polytechnic, Aba on Wednesday. 

 He also urged the state government to ensure it fulfilled its promise to pay the polytechnic workers a backlog of their 9 months salaries soonest to improve their performances.

“We have issues of non-promotion of our members since 2014. Workers have served the system productively for this period. They deserve to be promoted. 

“It is provided by the law so it is not a favour to the workers. It is their right and delaying it is denying them their right. 

“Abia state government should as a matter of urgency release the promotion of the Abia State Polytechnic staff because it will motivate them to work better. 

 “When you are promoted, you feel that your effort is being recognized but when it is denied, you will relax and it will affect the productivity of the workers,” he said.

He also called for the movement of the institution from its present site now to its permanent site at Osisioma to enable it grow bigger and become better.

Earlier, the Acting Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Ezionye Eboh said that he was delighted the meeting held at Aba even in the face of huge false information about the current state of the city.

He lauded the courage of the ASUP members in coming to Aba at this time and wished they would hold their 90th session in Aba also.

Eboh praised the Abia Polytechnic ASUP for cooperating with the management to save the school from its challenges stressing that the “union makes us strong” in deed.

He said the institution had left where it was before and was heading to a better place and assured that with the support of ASUP, the situation in the institution will get better with time.

The ASUP Chapter Chairman, Mr Precious Nwakodo in his speech thanked the NEC for not changing their mind on the venue of the meeting in the wake of the IPOB/military clash in Aba.

He said that although the workers were owed 9 months salaries and 13 months check-off dues, they were marching on hoping for a better day in Abia state Polytechnic.

Nwakodo, however noted that they were working not because the situation was not biting them but because they wanted to help government correct past mistakes in the Polytechnic.

He therefore called on the state government to pay up the staff by making their subvention regular and thanked the governor for his effort so far.