Academic activities at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti, were on Tuesday disrupted by protesting lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

The lecturers were protesting against the alleged refusal of the institution’s management to meet their demands.

The protesting lecturers locked the institution’s entrance gate, thereby denying students, expected to continue their second-semester examinations, access to the school premises.

Commenting on the development, Olabisi Olasheinde, the Chairman of ASUP, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti Chapter, said the protest became necessary as several dialogues with the management did not yield positive results.

Mr. Olasheinde said the polytechnic management failed to pay the lecturers their Continue Education Centre (CEC) ‘s entitlements for the first semester of the 2019/2020 academic session and the accumulated de-migration arrears and cooperative deductions.

The union, he vowed, would ensure that the ongoing second-semester examination for 2019/2020 would not continue until their demands were met.

In his response, Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu, the institution’s Director, Protocol, Information and Public Relations, described the lecturers’ protest as “a deliberate attempt to dent the image of the Rector, Dr Dayo Oladebeye.”

Mr. Adeyemi-Adejolu explained that the management had started paying the CEC claims for the lecturers since Friday.

He added that those yet to see theirs might have issues with their respective banks.

On the other allowances raised by the lecturers, Mr. Adeyemi-Adejolu said the institution had resolved the issue. 

(NAN)