By Taiwo Oguniyi
Kwara, Nigeria – April 28, 2025
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has condemned a recent directive issued by the Committee of Federal Rectors (COFER), describing it as a deliberate misinterpretation of the Trade Union Act and a threat to union rights.
At a press conference held on Monday, ASUP rejected a COFER memo dated April 17, 2025, which instructed Rectors of Federal Polytechnics to enforce specific provisions of the Trade Union Act (2006). The union described the directive as being based on “wrong and sentimental interpretations” of the law and warned against any attempt to undermine its authority.
ASUP accused COFER of overstepping its bounds, stating that the committee lacks the legal power to interpret or implement trade union regulations. “COFER is alien to any known law and cannot make binding decisions on workers,” the union said in its statement.
The union also argued that staff of Federal Polytechnics had already provided consent for union membership through their registration on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), making any further consent forms redundant. ASUP described the additional request as “laughable and bereft of common sense,” pointing to the long-standing participation of members as evidence of both implied and express consent.
Particular criticism was directed at the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, a former ASUP chairman, who the union alleged was acting out of retaliation following previous complaints about his administration. “It is troubling that a former leader of ASUP is now at the forefront of this attack,” the union stated.
The union also cautioned the Rectors of Federal Polytechnics in Ekowe, Nekede, and Bida against taking actions it said could threaten union unity.
ASUP concluded by demanding an immediate withdrawal of the COFER memo and a public apology, stating that it would employ all available means to defend the rights and welfare of its members.
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