Academic
Staff of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, under the aegis of the Academic
Staff Union of Polytechnics, has resumed its industrial action after
the expiration of two weeks it gave the authorities to meet some its
demands.
The
two weeks given the state government to meet some of its demands
lapsed last Friday.
The
lecturers had also alleged threat to their lives as they claimed that
some unregistered vehicles had been sighted within the school
premises, a development they claimed was breach of security
arrangement.
Speaking
with the media after its congress last Friday, the Chairman of the
ASUP MAPOLY chapter, Kola Abiola, alleged that “unregistered have
started entering the school as against the security arrangement of
the institution.”
He
further alleged that those unregistered vehicles had, on two
occasions traced him to the junction of his residence.
Abiola
said the members of the union were no more willing to offer their
services until the government comply with their demands.
It
will be recalled that the lecturers and the state government had been
at loggerheads over the announcement of the upgrading MAPOLY to
Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology.
While
the government also announced the establishment of the Ogun State
Polytechnic, Ipokia. The contention had been what would be the role
of the lecturers in the new MAUSTECH.
The
government said those who wish to lecture at MAUSTECH would have to
re-apply and if they met the requirements, they would be
accommodated. While those among them who wanted to continue with the
new polytechnic at Ipokia, would move there without re-applying.
Some
of the lecturers were however not comfortable with the option of
resigning and re-applying for their upgrade to MAUSTECH, as they
argued that their years of service at MAPOLY, might no longer count
for them.
Abiola
alleged that the policy of the government to upgrade MAPOLY to a
university status has affected the school negatively.
According
to him, salaries are not being paid since the school operated majorly
on school fees while prospective students were not willing to seek
admission into the school since the announcement of the upgrade.
He
said, “In the month of September, its only 40 per cent of our
salary that was paid, in the month of October, it was another
truncated salary that was paid and the government has told us to go
and look inwards
“Do
they want us to start selling mats? Do they want us to start selling
out students to get money?
“And
for a school that has been running on school fees, now students are
not coming. More than 7,500 were offered admission into HND, only 132
has responded to come to the school.
” That
is what the policy of government is doing to Moshood Abiola
Polytechnic.”
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