The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics at Offa Federal Polytechnic is in conflict with the school’s management regarding the governing council’s decision to hold meetings off-campus. According to DAILY POST, the union has vehemently criticized this practice, asserting that it violates directives from the Federal Ministry of Education. In response, the institution’s management, represented by Public Relations Officer Olayinka Iroye, defended the off-campus meetings, stating that the recent one held in Lagos was not a full governing council session but a committee meeting that can legally occur outside the polytechnic when warranted. They cited the chairman’s poor health as a reason for not holding the meeting in Offa. Conducting the meeting in Lagos, where he is based, was a sensible choice that took into account his health condition and aimed to maintain essential functions of the council committee. Additionally, the selection of Lagos was influenced by considerations of cost-effectiveness and logistical convenience. Certain members of the council committee, particularly those representing the North-West area (for example, Kano travelers discovered that it was easier and more cost-effective to fly straight to Lagos instead of making several connections to Ilorin and then driving to Offa. This approach resulted in time savings, less fatigue, and lower costs. “It’s important to mention that this isn’t the first instance of such meetings taking place off the polytechnic grounds. Management holds that the issues raised by the union could have been more effectively resolved through open dialogue and engagement, which are both available and respected within the polytechnic system,” Olayinka noted. However, in a strongly worded response to the management’s defense on Monday, union chairman Dr. Idowu Atilola expressed, “We are taken aback by this attempt to rationalize the breach of an existing directive from the Federal Ministry of Education regarding this matter. This adds to the unwarranted justification of the decision being cost-effective and the effort to separate council committee meetings from existing regulations. Beyond compassion, it’s crucial to highlight that this has become a trend, as this isn’t the first time council meetings have been moved outside the institution during this administration. To clarify any confusion, the circular referenced DHE/POLY.42/C.1/VOL. Dr. Idowu noted that I/07 from the FME did not omit committee meetings, and we are just as astonished that factors such as prudence and confidentiality were not taken into account when assessing cost-effectiveness. The union chairman stated that “Rector Engr. Dr. Kamoru Kadiri, who previously served as the chairman of ASUP, along with Engineer. Dr. Waheed Balogun, the former ASUP chairman, and Mr. Gabriel Soko, the Registrar who served as Deputy Registrar for Council Affairs when the Education Ministry issued its circular, cannot claim they were unaware of the Ministry’s clear instruction against holding governing council meetings outside their respective institutions. “To put it bluntly, the union asserts that ignoring the Ministry of Education’s directive was intentional, which highlights the underlying causes of the ongoing industrial unrest at the Federal Polytechnic Offa.”
