Education Minister Intervenes in Federal Polytechnic Ekowe Crisis, Summons Rector and Union Leaders

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has stepped into the ongoing industrial crisis that has kept the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe in Bayelsa State shut since July 11, 2025. The minister has summoned all parties involved to a high-level meeting scheduled for Monday, September 29, in a bid to resolve the stalemate.

According to official sources, those invited include the Rector, Dr. Agbabiaka Lukman, the Governing Council Chairman, and the Chairmen and Secretaries of the three staff unions—the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).

The meeting follows a joint petition by the unions, which accused the school management of deliberately suspending a governing council session that was meant to address the labour dispute. The petitioners argued that the cited reason of “insecurity” in Bayelsa was unfounded, insisting that council members were already present in town and that no credible threat warranted the cancellation.

Union leaders maintain that the crisis can only be resolved if the Rector is suspended pending an investigation into allegations of violating the Polytechnic Act. They accused the Rector of bypassing the governing council—legally empowered to handle labour matters—by taking the unions to court over the disputes.

Efforts to obtain an official response from the institution were unsuccessful, as the school’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nimizuo Pereseigha, declined to comment when contacted.

The intervention by the Education Minister is seen as a decisive step toward restoring academic activities at the polytechnic, which has remained under lock and key for more than two months.