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The Minister of State for Education, Honourable Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba has  expressed displeasure at the incessant obstructions to the free flow   of   academic   activities   in   the   Nation’s   tertiary   institutions,   as he emphasized  government’s determination to find lasting solutions to the menace.

The Minister expressed his  displeasure Friday in Abuja  at a meeting with a delegation of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria  Polytechnics,  (SSANIP)  led   by its  National President,   Comrade   Philip Adebanjo Ogunsipe. 
According  to a press statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Education, 
Ben Bem Goong,   Nwajuiba said   these strikes   have   done great   damage   to  the   Nation’s educational advancement. 

The   Minister   pointing   out   that   the   academic   and   professional   aspirations   of  Nigerian   students   have   been   greatly   tampered   with,   hence,   the   need   to   put   a permanent stop to industrial actions.

He therefore, appealed to the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, (SSANIP) to shelve its proposed strike as government is working assiduously to meet its demands. 

The meeting which was set up by the Federal Government is to dissuade the Association  from  embarking   on  the industrial   action  as the Union   had  threatened  to  embark  on  if   its demands are not met at the end of a seven-day ultimatum and also to give the aggrieved Members of the Association a progress report on efforts  being made to satisfy their numerous demands.   

In her remarks, Director, Tertiary Department of the Ministry, Mrs. Rakiya GamboIlyasu, revealed government’s efforts at  addressing  the grievances of the Association. 

On   lingering   issues   on   the   Integrated   Personnel   Payroll   Information   System(IPPIS), the Director informed the Association that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, (OAGF) is already fine tuning the payment platform to“  accommodate the anomalies being experienced.”    

Noting that  the  government   is   aware   of   the   expiration   of   Governing   Councils   of   Federal Polytechnics and that steps are being taken to  reconstitute the Governing Councils in the Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology   for   Federal   Government   owned   institutions.

On renegotiation of the 2019 agreement, Gambo revealed that provision has been made in the 2020 Appropriation Act for the Renegotiation Committee to resume sitting  as soon as the  Governing  Councils   in  the   various   Polytechnics   and   Colleges   of   Education   are inaugurated.  

Concerning   overhead   cost   in   Federal   Polytechnics,   Gambo   said   that   the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Accounting, (PICA) has been given the task of carrying out forensic audit on all allocations to the tertiary institutions with the view of ascertaining the causes of shortfalls in the system. 

On   the   challenges   of   state-owned   institutions,   the   Director   stated   that   the institutions  are within the purview of their state governments. She explained that the Federal Government can only exercise an advisory role and allow the institutions to negotiate with their various state governments.

 In his remarks, National President of the Association, Comrade Philip Adebanjo Ogunsipe urged the Federal Government to urgently attend to the demands of the Association as the Union will not hesitate to put in all it takes to press home her demands.