End salary payment delays or face service withdrawal, ASUP tells FG

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has asked the Federal Government to end the long delays in the payment of their salaries and allowances or face withdrawal of service.

Shammah Kpanja, ASUP President, in a statement, noted that the Union might be forced to direct its members to stay away from duty in all affected polytechnics if the situation did not improve in the coming days.

“This call is made in the overall interest of the fragile industrial harmony in the tertiary education sector, particularly the polytechnics, as no trade union will continue to watch her members go through these harrowing experiences every month as the government continues to undermine her contractual obligations to workers at the end of each month.

“Our union may be forced to direct her members to stay away from all affected polytechnics if the situation does not improve in the coming days and sustain the same until the salaries are paid; while adopting the same pattern at the end of each month going forward,” Kpanja said.

Kpanja, in the statement entitled, ‘Habitual Delay in Payment of Salaries Across Federal Polytechnics in Nigeria,’ emphasised that the delays are likely due to the transition of the tertiary institutions from the IPPIS payment platform to the GIFMIS platform being handled by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

“Our union has observed a trend in the delay in payment of staff salaries across federal tertiary institutions in the country in the last eight months. This new trend of subjecting staff of these institutions to the mental torture of enduring indeterminate periods of uncertainty concerning the release of the severely devalued pittance now referred to as salaries coincides with the transition of the tertiary institutions from the IPPIS payment platform to the GIFMIS platform.

“Role players in the responsibility chain have consistently placed the blame on the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, attributing the same to the delay in the funding of the different institutions for the salaries over these eight months,” the statement read in part.

ASUP frowned at the trend in the delay in payment of staff salaries across federal tertiary institutions in the country in the last eight months.

Read also: Polytechnics not revenue generating institutions – ASUP

The Polytechnic lecturers emphasised that the Union had consistently complained to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation without the desired improvement, hence, “leaving staff of different federal polytechnics in distress at the end of each month.

“We are led to believe that the only plausible reason for this deliberate torture is the low value placed on the academic community by the government.

“This is because both payment platforms are hosted by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and it is expected that the transition between the payment platforms and using essentiallythe same payroll information will be smooth and flawless,” ASUP stated.

In addition, the Union stated, “Eight months is too long a trial period for the transition and it is only a government that places low value on education will treat staff of tertiary education institutions in this manner.

“Our union condemns this undeserved treatment being meted out to workers in the tertiary institutions, particularly in a difficult economy like ours.”

They frowned at the working conditions of their members in different tertiary institutions, which they said had been turned into beggars at the end of each month, reiterating that their salaries had become worthless, since it is only used to service debts incurred in the course of each month.

“It is equally shameful that while the academic community is being punished with such penury, political leaders continue to entertain themselves in mindless opulence and power-grabbing activities for the next elections.

“This is unfortunate and symptomatic of a terminally sick nation. We hereby renew our calls for the release of June 2025 salaries to tertiary institutions in the country without any further delay and a departure from this new trend of delay in salary payments in the coming months,” ASUP emphasised.