The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has called for an upward review of the salaries of its lecturers.

Anderson Ezeibe, the president of ASUP, in a statement on Tuesday, renewed the call for the conclusion of an ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement renegotiation, which it said did not meet a definite conclusion in 2022.

Ezeibe said there is a need for an improved wage review that reflects current economic realities.

He said ASUP has undertaken a review of a recently approved and released wage structure for polytechnics, as communicated through the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

The ASUP president said there is a need to revise the new structure, which reflects an increase of 35 percent for chief lecturers and 25 percent for other layers of staff under the CONPCASS pay scale.

Ezeibe said the increase is only a slight adjustment to the offer of 35 percent and 23.5 percent made by the government during the renegotiation of the ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement in July 2022.

He added that the decision falls short of what is being demanded.

The ASUP president said, while the union was considering the offer in 2022, the renegotiation process went into hiatus as the government failed to resume the process.

“It is equally important to note that the offer was made by the government before the latest and current economic downturn, occasioned by the removal of subsidy on the premium motor spirit in May 2023,” he added.

“It, therefore, goes without saying that the positives expected from this move by the government have already been severely undermined by the current marketplace realities, and we expect the government to note this.”

Three students of the Nasarawa State Polytechnic have been left injured following an off-campus attack by gunmen.

Ramhan Nansel, spokesperson of the state police command, told newsmen on Tuesday that a fourth victim is still missing.

Nansel said the command received a distress call concerning a robbery at Ombi 1 in Lafia around 10:30 pm.

He said the victims are all students of the Nasarawa State Polytechnic who reside outside campus.

The spokesperson said one of the students sustained a bullet wound while two others are being treated for injuries.

“Upon receipt of the report, policemen were immediately drafted to the scene. On arrival, it was discovered that three people were injured,” he said.

“The victims were rushed by the police to Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital for treatment.

“Upon their return to the scene of the incident, it was later discovered that one person was missing, named Jumoke.

“The command has launched an investigation into the case as the commissioner of police has deployed all tactical teams of the command to go after the perpetrators of the act.”

The attack on Nasarawa Poly comes just days after a similar incident at the Federal University of Gusau (FUG) in Zamfara.

The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has suspended four school principals across the state for their disobedience to the “free education policy” of the state government.

This was disclosed in a press statement issued by the Public Relations Officer in the state Ministry of Education, Nnaemeka Egwuonwu, on Tuesday.

Egwuonwu said the sanction was announced by the Commissioner for Education Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh.

The statement read, “Soludo has stepped down four schools’ Principals for non-compliance to the solution-free education policy of Anambra State Government.

“The Principals of Washington Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha, Nkem Nkechi; Kenneth Dike Secondary School, Awka, Onwurah Catherine; New Era Secondary School, Onitsha, Dr Cordelia Okonkwo; and Prince Memorial High School, Onitsha, Amaka Ubaka, were alleged to have acted in contravention of the solution policy on free education in the state.

“The stepping down of the principals was announced by the Commissioner for Education Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh.

“The Commissioner stated that a committee has been constituted to investigate the activities of the affected principals. She further stated that if found culpable, the Principals would be made to refund the amount collected.

“It is surprising that after a series of announcements on the Solution free education policy by Mr Governor, the Principals could still be alleged to have flouted the policy.”

Soludo, during his visits to Premier Primary School Odume Obosi and Ado Girls Secondary School Onitsha, announced that in line with the solution-free education policy, no child from early childhood education and development up to Junior Secondary School is required to pay any fee whatsoever.

While no student in the Senior Secondary should pay anything more than N5,000, the policy was further amplified by the governor in a meeting he had with Principals and Headteachers at the International Conference Centre, Awka, on Saturday.