Academic and administrative activities at the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Bayelsa State, have been crippled for over a week following an industrial action by the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), triggered by a dispute over non-remittance of union dues and withheld salaries.
NASU officials have vowed not to reopen the institution until the Rector, Dr Lukman Adegoke, and the Governing Council Chairman are removed, accusing them of sabotaging union operations and breaching labour laws. The shutdown, which began July 11, has affected the main campus in Ekowe, its liaison office in Yenagoa, and the Rector’s official residence. Although the management released the withheld June salaries of NASU members, the union insists that the core issue—non-remittance of four months’ union dues—remains unresolved. NASU Chairman, Mr. Etebu Ebifiye, described the management’s actions as a threat to industrial harmony and the union’s survival.
According to Ebifiye, the dues for January to April 2025, as well as June, were withheld deliberately to weaken NASU’s operations. He added that the Rector’s attempt to end the standoff without reversing the decision and addressing leadership concerns would not succeed. Efforts to forcibly reopen the institution were resisted by NASU, which maintained peaceful occupation of the premises. Ebifiye also alleged that NASU members were being targeted for demotion, with performance appraisal forms withheld as a punitive measure.
Meanwhile, the polytechnic’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nimizuo Pereseigha, stated that management had initiated dialogue and claimed that NASU had ignored requests to regularise their membership status, unlike ASUP and SSANIP, which had complied and had dues deducted accordingly. On the issue of promotions, Pereseigha explained that the process commenced during the NASU strike, and urged affected staff to submit their appraisal forms to participate. A reconciliation meeting has been scheduled to resolve the deadlock.
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