The lingering industrial crisis at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, took a dramatic twist on Monday as soldiers were reportedly deployed to safeguard examination halls following threats from striking lecturers.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), led by Comrade Kolo Joshua, had on September 15 declared an indefinite strike to protest 18 months of unpaid excess workload allowances. The union directed its members to boycott the ongoing semester examinations and allegedly warned against supervising the exercise.
Sources within the institution told PLATFORM TIMES that the management brought in armed soldiers to prevent disruption after some staff volunteered to conduct the examinations despite the strike order.
“The polytechnic started examinations today, and while some staff agreed to participate, the union had threatened to stop the process. That was why management deployed soldiers to protect students and staff,” one staff member, who spoke in confidence, explained.
The move followed a September 13 circular signed by the Registrar, Hussaini Muhammad Enagi, suspending ASUP’s activities on campus, citing security concerns.
Reacting, ASUP chairman, Joshua, advised members to vacate the campus “for the safety of lives and property.” He accused management of intimidation, including issuing queries to union executives instead of addressing lecturers’ financial grievances.
Joshua lamented that the unpaid allowances had accumulated under successive administrations, with 18 months outstanding under the current rector and 36 months under the previous administration. According to him, the neglect has caused hardship and dampened morale among academic staff.
However, the polytechnic’s Information Officer, Mallam Abubakar Dzukogi, dismissed reports that soldiers were drafted to supervise the examinations.
“This is purely a civil matter. I personally went round the centres and did not see any soldiers. Management only ensured that the examinations went ahead despite the strike,” he insisted.
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