Bida ASUP: Strike will continue until demands are met

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Bida chapter has disclosed that the ongoing strike will continue until their demands were met from the management.
The union said that, they cannot intimidate by the institution’s management.
The Chairman of ASUP, Bida chapter, Dr. Umar Mohammed Saganuwan, who led members of the Union to protest in Minna, said the Rector also approved a ‘secret’ recruitment of 141 new staff including the non-payment of personnel’s emoluments.
He, however, called on the Federal Government to sack the Rector of the institution, Dr. Abubakar Abdul Dzukogi, sequel to mismanagement of funds meant for staff.
A faction of ASUP who identified themselves as Concern Academic Staff under the leadership of Paul Fashagba, lambasted the Saganuwan faction for their stand saying “they are a group of lawless people misleading Nigerians.”
Fashagba said the alleged amounts claimed by the Saganuwan faction are fabricated and meant to drag good name of the management to mud.
He noted that the claim short fall was not only Bida Polytechnic that was affected which reflected on all staff pay slip affected hence not a secret issued while he condemned persistent calling for strike of over 20 times in 4 years is unacceptable in academic environment.
Saganuwan however said “the Rector, Dzukogi is corrupt and must be fired; he slashed our salaries and suspended our allowances. He and other principal officers have brought untold hardship on us all including the innocent students.
“For the past five months about four hundred junior staff have not gotten their N30,000 each amounting to N60,000,000; one hundred and fifty middle cadre staff owed N50,000 each amounting to N37,500,000 and one hundred and fifty senior staffers being owed N85,000 each amounting to N63,750,000. Making it a total of N161,250,000.”
He stated further that despite generating over N2billion last year, the sum of N250million which was set aside for members’ allowances was not given and the money cannot be accounted for. “We are ready to lead the federal government to investigate the fraudulent activity.”
The chairman also declared that it is not justifiable for the institution to recruit new staff especially when its members of staff has not been paid full salaries and other allowances since July 2019.