The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Offa Federal Polytechnic chapter, and the management of the institution are at loggerheads over holding off-campus meetings by the governing council of the school.
DAILY POST reports that while the union members of the institution have strongly condemned the practice of the council holding meetings outside the confines of the polytechnic, the management has justified its action, which the union has kicked against, describing it as a violation of the directive of the Federal Ministry of Education.
The management, in a statement by Olayinka Iroye, Public Relations Officer of the institution, claimed that “the last meeting held in Lagos was not a full governing council session, but a council committee meeting, which could lawfully and practically be convened outside the polytechnic when circumstances so demand.
“At the time the meeting was scheduled, the Chairman of the Governing Council was not in strong physical health to undertake long-distance travel to Offa. Holding the meeting in Lagos, his base, was therefore a pragmatic decision to accommodate his health condition and ensure the continuity of critical council committee functions.
“The choice of Lagos was also made in view of cost-efficiency and logistics. Some council committee members, especially those coming from the North-West region (e.g., Kano), found it more convenient and less expensive to fly directly to Lagos rather than taking multiple flights to Ilorin and traveling by road to Offa. This saved time, reduced fatigue, and minimized expenses.
“It is also necessary to note that this is not the first time such meetings are being held outside the polytechnic premises.
“Management believes the concerns raised by the union could have been better addressed through internal mechanisms of dialogue and engagement, which remain open and respected within the polytechnic system,” Olayinka added.
However, in a strongly worded reaction to the defense by the management on Monday, Chairman of the union, Dr. Idowu Atilola, said, “We are shocked at this attempt to justify the violation of an extant directive from the Federal Ministry of Education on the subject.
“This is in addition to the unsolicited explanation of the move being cost-effective and the attempt to isolate committee meetings of the council from the extant rule.
“Beyond the matter of compassion, it is important to point out that this has become a trend, as this is not the first time meetings of the council in this dispensation have been relocated outside the institution.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, the circular ref: DHE/POLY.42/C.1/VOL.I/07 from the FME did not exclude committee meetings; and we are equally surprised that considerations like prudence and confidentiality did not count in the classification of cost-effectiveness,” Dr. Idowu added.
The union chairman argued that “Rector Engr. Dr. Kamoru Kadiri (former ASUP chairman), Engr. Dr. Waheed Balogun, who happened to be the erstwhile ASUP chairman, and the Registrar, Mr. Gabriel Soko, who was the Deputy Registrar Council Affairs at the time of the circular from the Ministry of Education, cannot feign ignorance of the Ministry’s unequivocal directive that governing council meetings should not be held outside the institutions in which they are domiciled.
“Without mincing words, the union believes that the contravention of the Ministry of Education’s directive is deliberate, which further evidences the reasons why there is industrial unrest at the Federal Polytechnic Offa.”
The union strongly advised the polytechnic management to set the right examples by respecting the contents of the circular in reference, urging the spokesman of the institution to stay off union-related matters in mutual interest.
