Why we are not going on strike now — Yabatech SSANIP
By Adesina Wahab
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics, SSANIP, the Yaba College of Technology, Yabatech, the chapter has decided to shelve its proposed strike to honour and give room for the newly-inaugurated Governing Council to resolve the issues it has with the management of the College.
The members of the union took the decision yesterday at a congress held to deliberate on the 14-day ultimatum given the management of the institution to look into their demands.
Speaking on the outcome of the congress with our correspondent, the SSSANIP Branch Chairman, Mr Kayode Adekunle Samuel, said the decision was taken to honour the school’s Governing Council that was inaugurated on Tuesday in Abuja alongside the councils for other sister institutions.
“The Chairman of the Council, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and other members are honourable persons who we know believe in due process. They were inaugurated on Tuesday and the feelers we are getting are that the issues we have raised are among the ones to be given top priority.
“Our Congress resolved to give due respect to the newly-constituted Governing Council by shelving the idea of embarking on strike to press home our agitation, as we want to allow peace to reign. The present agitation is to be tabled as a pressing demand immediately the Governing Council resumes office latest in two weeks’ time.
“By this time, the highly revered Council is expected to do the needful as a matter of urgency, for a peaceful coexistence in the College,” he said.
Samuel called on the Rector, Engineer Obafemi Omokungbe, and the entire management of the College to follow and obey extant rules and the directives by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, on the issues at stake.
“The National Universities Commission, NUC, is the regulatory body for the universities, just like the NBTE is for the polytechnics. The NUC cannot give a directive to a university and the university will refuse to obey such. One wonders why the management of Yabatech is finding it difficult to obey the directive by the NBTE,” he noted.
Recall that the union had faulted the appointment of teaching staff into some positions in the College.
According to the union, such positions are meant for non-teaching staff and they include the Director, CITM, the Director, Works and Services, the Director, Physical Planning Unit, the Director, Consult and the Head of Fire Services.
“The appointments are clearly against the provisions of the Federal Polytechnics (Amendment) Act 2019, the Scheme of Service, the Public Service Rule 2008 among others.
The Public Service Rule 2008 rule 020506 prohibits the posting of officers outside their professional cadres. The Revised Scheme of Service 2013 by the NBTE for polytechnics and other similar institutions does not allow that too,” the union alleged.