The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has said its ongoing renegotiation with the Federal Government is at an advanced stage, urging members to remain patient as discussions progress.
ASUP President, Comrade Shammah S. Kpanja, said the union had made significant progress in its engagements with the Federal Government’s negotiating team led by the Yayale Ahmed Committee.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the union’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Kehinde Tajudeen Oladipupo, ASUP acknowledged the agitation among members over a new salary package similar to what university lecturers recently secured.
The union, however, assured its members that negotiations were progressing steadily and had reached an advanced stage.
According to the statement, negotiations between ASUP and the Federal Government officially commenced on Dec. 23, 2025.
It added that the union submitted the final draft of its position on some contentious issues to the technical committee about two weeks ago.
ASUP said the technical committee met on March 9 to prepare for a plenary session between the union and the main committee aimed at finalising the agreement.
The union also noted that its leadership had earlier met with officials of the Ministry of Education on Feb. 13, where it stressed the need to fast-track the negotiation process.
ASUP recalled that the renegotiation of the 2010 agreement between the Federal Government and the union was due in 2015 but had been delayed until the current process.
It explained that the Yayale Ahmed Committee was mandated to negotiate with 13 unions across tertiary institutions, comprising six unions from universities, four from polytechnics and three from colleges of education.
The statement noted that so far only the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had concluded its negotiations and signed an agreement with the Federal Government.
According to ASUP, negotiations with ASUU began earlier and benefited from early engagement with the government’s negotiating team.
The union said its own negotiations started later after it mounted pressure on the government and threatened a second strike action.
ASUP further disclosed that some aspects of the ongoing discussions already align with agreements reached in the university system.
The union added that it was also engaging the Federal Government on other key issues affecting the polytechnic sector, including the NEEDS Assessment intervention for the 2023 cycle and the review of the Scheme of Service.
It said the NEEDS Assessment process had reached an advanced stage, with final monitoring activities for the 2022 cycle recently completed while work was ongoing on allocation formulas for the 2023 intervention.
ASUP emphasised that the renegotiation, NEEDS Assessment intervention and the review of the Scheme of Service were critical to the survival and development of the polytechnic system.
The union appealed to members to remain calm and trust the negotiation process, assuring them that the leadership was working to achieve improved welfare and better conditions for polytechnic lecturers.
It also explained that details of the negotiations were being kept confidential to avoid disruptions or premature speculation.
