Enraged academic staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, yesterday shut down administrative and academic activities in the school, protesting against what they alleged as fraudulent refusal of the management to implement the approved salary scale for their academic staff.
They insisted that academic staff of the institution still have their starting point on salary grade to be from contass 7 instead of contass 8 as approved, and allegedly being adhered to in other federal Polytechnics across the federation.
The protesters included members of the institution’s staff from the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The angry protesters blocked the school’s gate as early as 6am and were there till around noon yesterday. They chanted hate songs, and prevented both human and vehicular movement in and out of the institutions.
They also carried placards which alleged fraudulent practices, insensitivity to the plight of staff, and other corrupt practices against the management.
Many students of the institutions appeared to have also joined in the protest as they also carried placards, chanted hate songs, to protest allegations of obnoxious charges on school fees by the management.
Speaking with us on the reason behind their protest, chairman of Ekiti State chapter of ASUP, Mr tunji Owoeye, said: ” We are here protesting the injustice we have been stomaching for several months. We want to show the world that the academic staff here are being marginalized and as long as they are being marginalized, we will continue to protest until the powers that be would allow true policies to be adopted and used for a single system of the Polytechnic system in Nigeria.
” What we are agitating for now is for the management to level us up to the level of our colleagues in other Federal Polytechnics such as Yaba Tech, Ilaro, Ila-oluji, Auchi, Owana, and Ida among others. All of them have their starting point at Contass 8.
“The policy we are agitating for is the implementation of the starting point of salary scale contass 8 in the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. It started when the Contass 15 started in 2009 and only the senior staff were answered, while contass 11 down were marginalized, and contass 12 and above were promoted.
” We have taken steps. We have met the management several times about this. We have written letters of warnings to the management to implement this as is done in other federal polytechnics. We have given 21 days notices, 14 days notices without any move by the management. We have also written our national body. In fact, let me tell you, that my own national body has given approval that by the end of 14 day ultimatum from now, we should have the institution closed down and go back home.
“We are about three unions involved in this ASUP, SSANU and ASSUU.
We are also alleging the management of fraudulent practices to the turn of several millions. The issue of cooperative which we had raised during our last protest in 2015, the management of this institution is still owing us about N200 million un-repaid cooperative funds up till now and we have been keeping quiet.
” We don’t have a management with a listening ear in this institution and injustice is perpetrated and we cannot expect peace in such an institution.
Owoeye who noted that If sacking the Rector of the insitution, Dr. Taiwo Akande, would be the solution to their problem:” we recommend that the federal government ask her to go”, added that the management of the federal polythenic already have the facts of the case they are fighting with them. He said a recent Bulletin from the office of the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the school which published the confirmed staff of the school had placed the records straight. He also said the staff protest has nothing to do with that of the students, adding: ” It is unfortunate that the students are also protesting now. I have been a teacher for long. Staff have never protested with students. So, our protest has nothing to do with their own protest.
The union leader revealed the resolve of the staff to fight their cause to a logical end, saying: ” We are ready to start sleeping here maybe from next week. ”
When contacted on telephone to react to all the allegations raised by the protesting staff, Mr. Adeyemi Adejolu, the PRO of the institution, in a text message said: “Very sorry that I’m not in a position to talk to you or any of our other colleagues on the protest. Government had forbade us from externalizing the issue. Thanks.”
