By Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Federal Government has appealed to the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, (SSANIP) to shelve its proposed strike, as government was working assiduously to meet their demands.
A statement from Federal Ministry of Education indicated that the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, made the appeal in Abuja, on Friday, at a meeting with SSANIP delegation led by its National President, Philip Ogunsipe.
The statement which was signed by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong, explained that the meeting was to dissuade the Association from embarking on the proposed industrial action.
The Minister frowned at the incessant obstructions of free flow of academic activities in tertiary institutions, pointing out that the academic and professional aspirations of Nigerian students have been greatly tampered with, hence, the need to put a permanent stop to industrial actions.
He stressed government’s determination to find lasting solutions to the menace, even as he presented progress report on efforts being made to satisfy their numerous demands.
Director, Tertiary Education Department of the Ministry, Mrs. Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, in her remarks, confirmed government’s efforts to address the grievances of the Association.
She informed the Association that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, (OAGF) is already fine-tuning the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS)  payment platform to accommodate the anomalies being experienced.
In his remarks, National President of the Association, Philip Ogunsipe, urged the Federal Government to urgently attend to the demands of the Association as the Union will not hesitate to put in all it takes to press home its demands.