Labour unions in the Federal Polytechnic, Ekeowe, Bayelsa State are demanding the sack of the institution’s Rector, Agbabiaka Adegoke.
Initially, the crisis in the institution was between the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the rector over withheld June salary of their members and the non-remittance of union dues.
This led to the shutting down of the institution since July 11, 2025. The rector’s official residence and the institution’s liaison office in Yenagoa were also shut down by the NASU members.
However while stakeholders were expecting the resolution of the crisis using internal conflict resolution mechanism, the unions in the institution are enraged that the rector bypassed provisions of the Polytechnic Act and took the unions to court.
Consequently the unions under the auspices of the Non-Academic Staff Union, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have insisted that only the removal of the rector will guarantee industrial harmony in the institution.
In an interview, the unions lamented that the rector took the three unions to court over labour disputes, whereas the governing council was mandated under the Act to handle labour related matters.
Chairman of the Federal Polytechnic branch of SSANIP, Comrade Charles Arogo, said that the workforce is unanimous in the demand for the removal of the rector.
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He said the sack of workers without recourse to laid down procedures and recourse to the unions, victimisation of union officials and the non-release of promotion letters to union leaders as well as clandestine employment without requisite budgetary provisions were no longer tolerable.
Comrade Arogo said that in 2024 for instance, the recruitment of 41 staff mostly from the rector’s tribe without budgetary provision breached laid down procedures led to a salary shortfall crisis.
He explained that the rector has displayed a lack of capacity to run the institution before the staff, students and stakeholders who are seeking his removal.
“SSANIP joined this move in solidarity with NASU whose 400 members June salary were withheld under the guise of no work no pay rule after they had suspended her strike action.
“The seizure of the salary was illegal because it applies only when a union goes on strike beyond three months but in this case the strike was suspended after two months.
“SSANIP saw this as oppression and that is why we called for a Joint Action Congress (JAC) and raised a 14-point petition to justify our demand for the sack of the rector.
“The JAC of NASU and SSANIP union is urging the federal government, Federal Ministry of Education to save Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, from total collapse, under the Rector, Dr. Agbabiaka Adegoke’s watch, the student population has dwindled from 3,000 when he was appointed in 2022 to 300 currently,” Arogo said.
The Chairman of NASU in the polytechnic, Comrade Etebu Ebifiye, said that dragging the three unions to court over routine labour matters was both a gross misconduct and violation of the Polytechnic Act, which must be met with appropriate sanctions.
“There is no place in the Polytechnic Act for litigation over labour disputes with unions, and there are no budgetary provisions for litigation; so, the rector should state how he had been funding the court processes.
“The rector walked out of a reconciliatory meeting by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, declining to sign a memorandum of agreement at the parley some months back for his failure to deduct check-off dues for the unions from January to March, 2025.
“We found out that the rector acted alone without the approval of the governing council whom is legally empowered to resolve internal labour disputes. Our findings show that the court case was not even discussed at the last council meeting,” Ebifiye said.
He noted that it was regrettable that rather than call the rector to order, the chairman of the governing council abdicated his responsibility and took the dispute to the Ijaw National Congress (IJC) for mediation.
He said the INC has set up committee to investigate the root causes of the impasse, a responsibility of the governing council.
The ASUP chapter Chairman, Comrade Woyengitonye Abadani, said that the union withdrew its services and communicated same to the rector on July 16, due to heightened tension and concerns for the safety of its members and the institution’s property.
Abadani, who restated the commitment of the academic staff to work, develop the students and the advancement of the institution, urged the governing council of the polytechnic to rise to the occasion and restore normalcy.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the polytechnic, Mr. Nimizuo Pereseigha, said that the IJC was already brokering a truce and had advised the management to withdraw the pending case in court.
He however regretted that even though the management agreed to withdraw the case, the ongoing court vacation was an obstacle, but assured that the case would be withdrawn as soon as the courts resume from vacation.
On the responsibility of the governing council to mediate, Pereseigha said that the chairman of the governing council has visited the polytechnic twice since the institution was shut.
