Wisdom Engraced
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The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria Chapter, has expressed deep concern over the poor salary structure of its members. According to the union, an assistant lecturer earns a meager N64,400 monthly, which is lower than the allowance paid to National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.
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The union made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), amid an ongoing warning strike that began on June 16 and has halted academic activities across the institution’s campuses. The strike is centered on the non-implementation of the National Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Salary Structure and the failure to enforce the 65-year retirement age for non-teaching staff.
“We lose cohorts of lecturers to Federal University of Transportation Daura, Katsina State; Federal Polytechnic Gombe, and Kaduna State University (KASU), among other institutions,” said Malam Usman-Shehu Suleiman, Chairman of the union. He added that the current pay structure has triggered a wave of brain drain within the institution, with many lecturers leaving for better pay packages elsewhere
The union’s chairman disclosed that a lecturer who was sponsored by the polytechnic for both master’s and PhD degrees returned only to resign due to poor working conditions. “Upon his return, he found the situation unbearable and decided to leave,” Suleiman said. “But having signed a bond with the institution, the lecturer was compelled to repay over N21 million to the school.” Suleiman described the situation as a bad omen for the education sector and warned that if not addressed, the institution risks losing its remaining academic workforce.
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Abubakar Aliyu-Shika, Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnic (SSANIP), NUBA branch, echoed Suleiman’s sentiments, saying the union has been pushing for improved salary structures since 2009, to no avail. “We had a series of agreements with the state government… and nothing was done besides just signing the agreement and complaints of paucity of funds,” Aliyu-Shika said.
The union leaders are calling on the state government to implement the 2024 Polytechnic and College of Education Salary Structure, which they say is long overdue. “Regrettably, we are in the end of the second quarter of the year and no concrete steps have been taken to fulfill this promise,” Aliyu-Shika lamented. Despite the state government’s claims of low Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the recent recruitment of 500 new staff suggests that the financial capacity to meet the unions’ demands exists.
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