The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) has launched a new branch at Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, with Comrade Progress Omo-Agege elected as its interim chairman.
Advocate.ng report that the inauguration of Comrade Omo-Agege and other executive members took at the school main theatre at Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The newly inaugurated officers include Comrade Progress Omo-Agege as Chairman, Comrade Gift Ajeho as Vice Chairman, Comrade Okorodudu Omamuyivwi Russell as Secretary, Comrade Osijaye Joy Ejakpovi as Treasurer, and Comrade Obejewho Ogaga Victor as Assistant Secretary. They have been tasked with bridging the gap between the union and the institution's management.
During the inauguration ceremony, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Orogun, Dr. Duke Okoro, assured the union of a friendly and accommodating working relationship with the institution.
Represented by the school librarian, Dr. Edwin Achugbue, Dr. Okoro stated, "The Polytechnic Management Staff are very union-friendly, and we support what is happening here today because the Polytechnic will not achieve its dreams if the union is not in place.
"There are things the union will do, and there are things the management will do, so we are very happy that we are putting the structures in place gradually. My appeal is for you to work with your chairman, and read your constitution carefully to know when to act and when not to act, and how to act. It is important that we listen to each other," he advised.
Comrade Godwin Ikhide, the National Trustee of SSANIP and South-South Coordinator, while inaugurating the interim executive, said, "Today's event is significant as Federal Polytechnic Orogun becomes the youngest member of the SSANIP family nationwide. It is exciting to see young men and women in the workforce of the Polytechnic expressing a willingness to unionize.
"Unionism is not a confrontation, as people tend to think it involves banging tables and shouting at management. It is about synergy with management to ensure the needful is done, especially in a new institution like Federal Polytechnic Orogun. We have inaugurated the branch, and we have hands in the saddle with Comrade Progress Omo-Agege as the Interim Chairman, all the young heads put together are persons we are confident will take us to a very good level.
"But as union members, we must acquaint ourselves with the facts because, no matter the war, a third party must come in, and I am charging them to be selfless because unionism is not a place for selfish interests but must be holistically pursued."
In his acceptance speech, the interim chairman of SSANIP, Federal Polytechnic Orogun, Comrade Progress Omo-Agege, said, "The drive and efforts put together to make today a reality, with the help of God, show that we feel very pained by the reality on the ground that some of us are passing through. We want things to be done as soon as possible, and we are happy to have seasoned comrades in our institution. The Deputy Registrar and, above all, the Rector, Registrar, and Librarian have all been part of this struggle over the years, and our confidence that we will deliver is a hundred percent sure.
"My inauguration today is like a reconciliation of my past, having been in comradeship struggles since my school days at Government College, Ughelli, as an Environmentalist, and Delta State University as a student unionist. We accept all the responsibilities that will confront us in the office that we have been sworn into, and we are confident of putting in a hundred percent output.
"Apart from my background in comradeship, I am confident because I have a Rector, Polytechnic Librarian, and Registrar who are comrades, and all these put together will give me the best. I have a seasoned Deputy Registrar who is also a Comrade. We are all a family of comrades, and having comrades in the same boat, you can trust the process; we will get the best even as we disagree to agree.
On the issues of unpaid allowances and arrears of SSANIP members in the institution, Omo-Agege said, "This is the platform to address those menaces, and trust me, when they denied me and others, there was no platform, and now that we have a platform, we will get good results, and when you see me again, ask me".
