Soldiers deployed to School as Lecturers currently on strike plan to disrupt examinations

Soldiers deployed to School as Lecturers currently on strike plan to disrupt examinations

The ongoing industrial dispute at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida in Niger State intensified on Monday following the deployment of soldiers to examination venues.

The move came after the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) began an indefinite strike over unpaid allowances and reportedly threatened to disrupt the semester examinations.

ASUP, led by Comrade Kolo Joshua, commenced the strike on September 15, citing 18 months of unpaid excess workload allowances.
The union directed its members to boycott all examination-related activities and allegedly warned non-compliant staff against supervising the ongoing assessments.

A staff member at the institution, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Daily Trust that soldiers were stationed at examination centers to provide security for students and non-union staff participating in the exams.

“Examinations began today, and while some staff chose to participate, the union had issued threats to halt the process. The school management responded by bringing in soldiers to ensure safety and maintain order,” the source said.

The latest developments follow a September 13 circular issued by the institution’s Registrar, Hussaini Muhammad Enagi, which suspended ASUP activities on campus, citing growing security concerns.

In response, ASUP Chairman Kolo Joshua urged union members to leave the campus for their own safety, while reiterating that the grievances around unpaid allowances remained unaddressed.

He accused the polytechnic’s management of using threats and intimidation such as issuing formal queries to union leaders instead of resolving the financial issues at the heart of the strike.

Joshua noted that the unpaid allowances date back 18 months under the current administration and 36 months under the previous one, leading to financial strain and declining staff morale.

However, the institution’s Information Officer, Mallam Abubakar Dzukogi, refuted claims that soldiers were overseeing the examinations. According to him, only a few directors stepped in to conduct the exams after lecturers withdrew from the process.

“This is strictly a civil issue,” Dzukogi stated.

“I personally visited several examination centers and did not encounter any military presence. The management simply ensured that examinations proceeded in spite of the union’s industrial action.”

The standoff between ASUP and the polytechnic’s management appears far from resolved, raising fears of further disruption to academic activities and prolonged instability on campus