Strike: FG Addresses Protesting Polytechnic Students

The Federal Government of Nigeria has told the protesting students of Polytechnics that, the government should not be held not responsible for the protracted strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, stated this in Abuja on Friday while addressing students of polytechnics across the country who were protesting the prolonged closure of their respective Institutions.

The Minister blamed ASUP for closing down the Polytechnics in the country.

He maintained that the federal government had met all the demands of the union, maintaining that there was absolutely no reason to continue the strike.

A statement signed by the Federal Ministry of Education’s Director, Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong, said Nwajiuba used the occasion to appeal to ASUP to call off the strike immediately and unconditionally.

The leader of the Protest, Comrade Leo Emeka expressed the frustration of the Nigerian Students saying that polytechnics students are fed up with the prolonged strike as well as the unending academic session, adding that many students can no longer meet up with the financial demands to enable them to graduate.

He appealed to the Federal Government to facilitate the payment of arrears of the withheld minimum wage which is the reason for embarking on strike.