Academic activities at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) were disrupted on Monday as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) stormed examination halls, halting ongoing tests in enforcement of the union’s nationwide strike.
The lecturers reportedly moved across several faculties — including Arts, Social Sciences, and Sciences — ordering students and invigilators to vacate examination venues. Hundreds of students preparing for final-year and semester assessments were forced to suspend their papers midway.
Eyewitnesses told PLATFORM TIMES that the incident occurred simultaneously at multiple locations, with ASUU members insisting that the examinations violated the ongoing strike directive.
The strike, which began on August 5, 2024, follows a breakdown in negotiations between the union and the Federal Government over unresolved issues, including the release of ₦200 billion in earned academic allowances, implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement, and alleged casualization of academic staff.
Speaking with reporters, an ASUU representative at UNIBEN defended the action, describing it as necessary to maintain union solidarity.
“We regret the inconvenience to our students, but the government’s persistent neglect leaves us no choice. Until our demands are met, no lectures or exams should hold in any public university,” the spokesperson said.
Confirming the disruption, the university’s management appealed for calm, assuring that affected examinations would be rescheduled once normalcy returns.
“UNIBEN remains committed to maintaining the academic calendar and calls on both the government and ASUU to return to the dialogue table,” the Vice-Chancellor’s office said in a statement.
Some students expressed deep frustration over the development.
“We’ve already lost several weeks to this strike. Now our exams are suspended again — it’s affecting our graduation plans,” lamented a final-year student who spoke to PLATFORM TIMES on condition of anonymity.
No violence or arrests were reported as campus security officers monitored the situation to prevent escalation.
The ongoing strike has crippled academic activities in over 20 federal universities nationwide, including the University of Lagos and Ahmadu Bello University, where similar disruptions have been recorded.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) is expected to meet with ASUU representatives later this month, but the union has maintained that it will not call off the strike until the government meets all its demands.
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