From Cross Udoh, Abuja
The non-teaching workers in the Nigerian Polytechnics, yesterday asked the Federal Government to justify the essence of huge budgetary allocations for the security sector with growing terror attacks in the country by curtailing the activities of the terrorists.
The workers, under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP), gave this charge during their 67th General Executive Council (GEC) meeting, held at the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, which was jointly signed by the SSANIP President and National Secretary, Comrade Adebanjo Ogunsipe and Comrade Hussaini Gwandu respectively, described the Kaduna-Abuja train attack as ‘’a death too many’’.
According to the communiqué, “Council frowned at the sporadic terror attacks around the country. Prominent among these is the attack on an Abuja Kaduna train with about 970 passengers on board. Council found the accompanying reports of loss of lives of Nigerians in the reported bomb attack, not only disturbing but death too many.
SSANIP frowned at the politics around the payment of the new minimum wage Arrears by the Federal Government and called on the government to ensure immediate payment of the arrears to avoid industrial dispute.
Section 84 (12): To be or not to be (1)
On the poor funding of Polytechnic education, the communiqué said, “The Council is calling on the Federal Government to ensure the prompt release of the fifteen billion (N15 billion) naira revitalization funds to cushion the effect of the huge funding deficit in the Polytechnic sector.”
Also, on the HND /BSC dichotomy, it said,
“The Council-in-session wishes to commend the National Assembly for painstakingly seeing the HND/BSC dichotomy bill to a logical conclusion. While the bill currently awaits assent, the union however wishes to call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari to expedite actions on the signing of this Bill into law in the interest of the growth and development of the Polytechnic education.”
