Life returns to Nigeria’s polytechnics today after over two months’ strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) that paralysed activities on poly campuses and lately sparked demonstrations by angry students tired of wasting away at home.

Announcing the suspension of the industrial action which started April 29, ASUP President Chibuzor Asomogba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) late yesterday after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos: “We have decided to suspend the strike from tomorrow, July 17.”

He said that all ASUP members are expected to return to work today and promised to unfold details of what led to the suspension of the strike later.

The National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Education, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, and her Labour and Productivity counterpart, Chief Emeka Wogu, had met with ASUP last week Tuesday (July 9) in a bid to get the union to end the strike.

The industrial action was staged to protest the failure by federal and state governments to implement agreements with the union, thus adversely affecting polytechnic education in the country.

ASUP also demanded full implementation of the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS 15) and a stoppage of the discrimination against holders of the Higher National Diploma.

It equally protested against the absence of a National Polytechnics Commission and the deplorable condition of many polytechnics in the country.

•Photo shows Education Minister, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i.