In a press statement signed by its President, Shammah S. Kpanja, and made available to journalists on Friday, the union lamented that for over eight months, staff members have endured the mental torture of waiting endlessly for their meagre salaries. The delay, the union said, began after the transition from the IPPIS payment platform to the new GIFMIS system.
According to ASUP, both platforms are controlled by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), and there is no justifiable reason for such a prolonged disruption, especially since the payroll data remains unchanged.
“Eight months is too long a trial period for any payment system transition. Only a government that places little value on education would subject its academic workforce to this level of hardship,” the statement read.
The union accused the federal government of failing in its contractual obligations to workers, warning that the persistent delays are pushing lecturers and staff into debt and poverty. ASUP criticized the contrast between the suffering of academic staff and the lavish lifestyles of political leaders, calling it “symptomatic of a terminally sick nation.”
ASUP further stated that several formal complaints have been submitted to the OAGF without any meaningful improvement, leaving staff across Federal Polytechnics in distress at the end of each month.
The union has now demanded the immediate release of June 2025 salaries to all affected institutions. It also called for a permanent end to the recurring delay, warning that continued negligence could spark industrial action.
“Our union may be forced to direct members to stay away from all affected Polytechnics if the situation does not improve in the coming days. This withdrawal of service may be sustained monthly if salary payments remain uncertain,” the union warned.
ASUP emphasized that the call is made in the interest of maintaining fragile industrial harmony within the Nigerian tertiary education sector, particularly in Polytechnics, where morale continues to decline due to neglect and poor remuneration.
