Firdaus Obiremi
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Ogun State chapter, has threatened an industrial action over the state government’s alleged failure to implement academic allowances, remit workers’ pension deductions and adequately fund the six state-owned polytechnics.
The union has given the government six days to address its demands before the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued on October 27, 2026, warning that failure to act could trigger a strike across the affected institutions.
Among its major demands is an immediate increase in the monthly subvention to each state-owned polytechnic from the current N5m to N100m, alongside the implementation of the Consolidated Academic Allowance and Earned Academic Allowance (CATA/EAA), payment of pension counterpart contributions and remittance of outstanding pension deductions.
The union made its position known on Thursday during a joint press briefing at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) ASUP Secretariat, Abeokuta, attended by representatives of all six state-owned polytechnics.
Reading the union’s resolution, Comrade Adeyemi Joseph Kolawole of the Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences, Ilese, said the ultimatum followed a resolution of the ASUP National Executive Council but lamented that the state government had yet to demonstrate any concrete commitment to resolving the outstanding issues.
Kolawole described the continued payment of N5m monthly subvention to some of the institutions for more than a decade as grossly inadequate, considering the prevailing economic realities and rising operational costs.
He said, “It is discouraging that the monthly subvention to some of these institutions has remained at a paltry sum of N5m for over 10 years, despite significant changes in economic realities, operational costs and institutional responsibilities.”
The union consequently demanded an immediate upward review of the monthly allocation to N100m per institution, arguing that the existing funding arrangement was placing unbearable financial pressure on institutional management and undermining effective administration.
Beyond the funding crisis, ASUP expressed concern over the government’s alleged failure to provide pension counterpart contributions and remit deductions already made from workers’ salaries to their respective Pension Fund Administrators.
The union also complained that state-approved palliative support for workers had not been extended to the majority of eligible employees across the six institutions.
Kolawole urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to personally intervene before the ultimatum expires, warning that allowing the dispute to escalate could disrupt the academic calendar.
“We call on His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Ogun State, to personally intervene and ensure that these outstanding issues are addressed before the expiration of the ultimatum.
“No responsible government should allow an avoidable industrial crisis to destroy the academic calendar when the issues at stake can be resolved through genuine commitment and timely intervention,” he said.
Speaking on the pension crisis, Comrade Adeleke Amos Adebayo, representing MAPOLY, Abeokuta, disclosed that pension deductions from the salaries of some workers had remained unremitted for several months, raising fears about their financial security after retirement.
He said the managements of the affected institutions had repeatedly complained of inadequate funding, explaining that their internally generated revenue was insufficient to meet competing financial obligations.
According to him, dwindling student enrolment, infrastructural deficits and the increasing cost of running the institutions had further worsened their financial situation.
“Several months of deductions have not been remitted to the Pension Fund Administrators. That is already running over several months for some staff of some of these polytechnics, which was one of the reasons we included this in our press statement,” Adebayo said.
He lamented that workers approaching retirement were particularly vulnerable, warning that the failure to remit pension contributions could leave them struggling financially after years of service.
Adebayo said the economic hardship in the country, including rising costs of petrol, accommodation, food and other essential commodities, had also affected workers’ ability to meet their family responsibilities.
