The Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, has suspended all activities of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Bida chapter, following an indefinite strike by lecturers that disrupted ongoing examinations.
In an official statement, the institution’s Registrar, Hussaini Enagi, announced the suspension, stating that the decision was made due to “rising tension and a concerning security report.” He urged all union members to fully comply with the directive.
The lecturers, under the ASUP umbrella, had resumed strike action on Monday over 18 months of unpaid excess workload allowances. Led by Chairman Kolo Joshua, the union instructed members to vacate the campus and boycott examinations, citing management’s intimidation tactics and ongoing neglect of staff welfare.
Joshua insisted that the strike was a collective decision, stressing that “our struggle is legitimate, anchored on justice, and protected under the relevant labour laws.”
However, the Rector, Dr. Baba Haruna, appealed to the union to respect the rights of staff who might not wish to join the strike, while the governing council urged lecturers to suspend the action in the interest of students.
Reacting, ASUP National President, Shammah Kpanja, described the suspension of the union as disturbing.
“We note with displeasure the purported suspension of union activities by the governing council, as well as the embarrassing pictures and videos of soldiers supervising an activity purporting to mean an examination in the polytechnic.”
He emphasized the national body stands firmly behind the Bida chapter and will take up the matter with the appropriate authorities.
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