Protesting workers ground Federal Poly, Ado Ekiti

All activities were grounded at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, as workers barricaded the institution’s main gate in protest against the management.

The angry workers, under the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), claimed that the management of the polytechnic was shortchanging them.

During the protest, they shut the main gates and called for the removal of the Rector, Dr Taiwo Theresa Akande.

On the protest, chairman of the polytechnic’s chapter of ASUP, Mr Tunji Owoeye, said: “We are protesting the injustice we have stomached for several months. We want to show the world that the academic staff members are being marginalised.

“What we are agitating for is for the management to level us up with our colleagues in other federal polytechnics like Yaba, Ilaro, Ile-oluji, Auchi, Unwanna and Ida. All of them have their starting point at Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Scale (CONTISS) VIII.”

According to him, “we have taken steps and we have met the management several times. We have written letters of warning to the management to implement this as it is done in other federal polytechnics. We have given 21-day, 14-day notices without any move by the management.

“Our national body has given approval that by the end of 14-day ultimatum from now, we should have the institution closed down.”

When contacted on the telephone, the spokesperson of the institution, Mr Adeyemi Adejolu, said through a text message: “Very sorry that I’m not in a position to talk to you or any of our other colleagues on the protest. Government had forbidden us from externalising the issue. Thanks.”