ASUP strike update: Polytechnic lecturers, judicial and doctors strike and how di action dey worry Nigeria
Activities for most courts across Nigeria dey paralysed as dem no open for business as usual sake of di indefinite nationwide strike by di Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria wey begin on Tuesday, 6April, 2021.
On di second day of di action, courts gates remain under lock and key as union staff mount di gate and prevent anybody to enta into di court premises. One resident of Kano, Ayuba Sani telll BBC Pidgin say e travel all di way from Garun Mallam local goment wey be about 50km go Kano city for north west of di kontri to go swear affidavit only to find out say dem dey on strike. On di same Tuesday also, school activities for polytechnics and monotechnics dey grounded as Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics start dia indefinite strike over dia wages and revitalisation moni dem say authorities no release. Dis na harvest of strike for di kontri sake of say dis strikes di happun barely two weeks afta resident doctors for Naija pack up say dem no dey go work again sake of say goment no pay dem dia allowance. Why di strike? Judicial workers go strike say of say dem dey demand for financial freedom. Dem dey vex say di allocation for di judiciary for states no dey reach dem directly and say state govnors dem dey use dem shine eye. Unlike di federal level wia judicial officers dey get dia allocation directly from di head of di court, di state gatz depend on di mercy of di govnor and na wetin di govnor wan give dem, e go give dem. Dis na why dem want dia financial autonomy so dat dia moni no go di pass through di govnor or di executive arm of goment . E neva dey clear how long dis strike go last but plenti pipo don dey feel di impact as those wey get case no fit proceed wit dia mata. All proceedings for courts dey grounded and those wey get case now dey stranded. Di Chief Justice of Nigeria, Muhammed tanko don beg di striking worker make dem return to work and dat dem go find solution to dia problem. E say im hand dey tie sake of say e no go fit go beg di state govnor dem to implement di order sake of say many of dem go ask am for 10 favours. Polytechnic lecturers strike Di polytechnic lecturers go strike sake of say dem dey vex say goment no dey treat dem well •Dem complain about non implementation of di NEEDS Assessment report for 2014 •Non release of dia revatalisation moni •Non release of dia 10 months arrears of minimum wage even though presidency don give order make dem pay dem since 2019 •Non payment of salaries for some state owned institutionas dem di owe staff up to 5-24 month salary for states like Abia, Ogun, Osun,Edo, Benue and Plateau •Non implementation of di 65 years retirement age by some state goment like Kano and di appointment of unqualified persons as rector s of di polytechnics for some states. Di minister of Education, Adamu Adamu bin plan to hold emergency meeting wit di leadership of ASUP before dem announce dia strike. E neva dey clear how long di strike go last, but na di millions of students go face di wahala as e go impact on wen dem go graduate. Meanwhile di joinbodi wey dey responsible for teaching student for Polytechnics say dia schools all over di kontri go remain closed until di goment meet dia demands, according to wetin ASUP president Anderson Ezeibe, bin tok. Oga Ezeibe tell di BBC say, although major long-term problems dey ground, e get some sharp-sharp tins wey di federal goment fit do now, wey go make ASUP return to work: Reconstitution of governing councils Federal Polytechnics for Nigeria don dey run without governing councils since May last year…and dis one dey wrong," di ASUP president bin tok. Dis na because di federal goment bin dissolve governing councils for Polytechnics. But wetin dis one mean be say di institutions no fit appoint principal officers, no fit do staff appraisals, and some normal-normal functions go dey hard to do.Payment of new minimum wage arrears ASUP want make di FG pay N4bn money wey be di difference in wetin dia staff dey collect before di kontri approve new minimum wage for 2019, and wetin dem dey collect now. "Any serious goment suppose fit source dis money, dem don do pass dis one for oda sectors," Oga Ezeibe hala. Resident Doctors strike Di National Association of Resident Doctors don dey strike for days now and dia absence don affect healthcare delivery for most goment hospital for di kontri. Dem get plenti demands from Federal goment wey include di immediate payment of salaries wey dem dey owe all House officers, regardless of quota system. Dem dey also ask for upward review of di current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers, plus payment of di outstanding Covid-19 inducement allowance, especially for state-owned-tertiary Institutions, among oda demands.