PREAMBLE

The Forum of Academic Technologists in Nigeria Polytechnics was a group of concerned individuals in some Polytechnics that came together to address the issues observed in the suspended scheme of service for Polytechnic as it related to the Technologist cadre in June 2024, when the Review Committee was set up by the Ministry of Education to look into the contentious areas in the drafted SOS. The Scheme of Service stirred up agitation in all the Polytechnics across the nation.

Several moves were made by the representatives on the mandate of the Forum to reach the relevant authorities in the Ministry and National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) on the matter that concerned Technologists in the reviewing SOS processes. At the same time, the ASUP that represents the Technologist Cadre as one of the cadres that make up the Union was contacted, but the National Executive of the union failed to give an audience and recognize the submission of the Forum.

There, we discovered that “ASUP” has no interest to protect nor present the plights and issues of Technologists in representations and negotiations. From the discouraging feedback and attitude of ASUP National leadership styles, the Forum decided to pursue her collective interest on a self-sponsored basis. After several deliberations and consultations, the group saw a need to metamorphose into a Trade Union named Academic Technologists Union of Polytechnic (ATUP) to protect and promote the interest and welfare of Technologists in Polytechnics on the 15th of October, 2024. The Forum is an intellectual group, ably represented by all the Polytechnics and Monotechnics in the Six Geo-Political Zones of Nigeria; South West (Zone A), South East (Zone B), South-South (Zone C), North Central (Zone D), North West (Zone E), and North East (Zone F).

Therefore, in furtherance to her unwavering commitment, it has decided to constitute a Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and has delivered the constitution whose provision is binding on all the members of the Union and shall be subject to amendment by the General Congress in the future.

Having collated the opinions, suggestions, and submissions from individual members and Chapters via online meetings on Google Meet and WhatsApp conference calls, as well as emails and text messages, the Constitution Draft Committee presented the draft and it was ratified as the constitution for the operations of the Union.