Workers’ strike disrupts academic activities across Nigeria

Educational actions had been disrupted on Monday as major and secondary faculty lecturers, and their counterparts in larger establishments joined the nationwide indefinite strike introduced by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Commerce Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).

PREMIUM TIMES visited faculties in lots of elements of the nation together with Lagos, Abuja, Bauchi and Ondo State and located that pupils in public faculties had been requested to return house as their faculties had been shut.

College students in tertiary establishments throughout the nation, together with these at present sitting examinations, had been additionally locked out of their school rooms and libraries.

In a single case, examinations had been disrupted by members of the labour unions on the Ondo State Faculty of Well being Expertise, Akure.

Earlier as we speak, PREMIUM TIMES reported that unions in instructional establishments together with ASUU, SSANU, ASUP and the Nationwide Union of Lecturers (NUT) directed their members to affix the strike.

College students roam Abuja streets

At about midday on Monday, college students had been seen lurking round Wuse district in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), hours after they had been requested to return house by their faculty authorities.

A scholar of Authorities Secondary Faculty (GSS) Wuse, Zone 3, stated she had heard that the strike was not going to be held earlier than coming to highschool within the morning.

She stated she had not gone house as a result of her dad and mom weren’t at house and that there was nothing for her to do at house.

“We heard that the strike had been known as off this morning which is why I went to highschool, just for me to get to highschool, and we had been despatched again house until additional discover due to the strike,” she stated.

A scholar of Authorities Secondary Faculty, Wuye, was additionally seen lurking round Wuse Zone 2 in her faculty uniform.

The scholar stated she selected to remain round as a result of her dad and mom wouldn’t be at house till 2 p.m.

“I gained’t meet anyone at house so there is no such thing as a level in going house on time,” she stated.

PREMIUM TIMES, nevertheless, gathered that solely final-year college students sitting the West African Senior Faculty Certificates Examination (WASSCE) had been allowed into the varsity premises.

An administrative workers at GSS Wuse Zone 3, Ezekiel Ejej, instructed our reporter that the strike announcement was communicated to the members of workers by way of the varsity Whatsapp platforms and so just a few of the lecturers who didn’t obtain the message got here to highschool.

“Everyone seems to be conscious of the strike. Though it has been introduced to the workers, we’re but to have a gathering on the state of affairs. So for now, we’re solely going by the directives from above,” he stated.

“We instructed the scholars that there’s a nationwide strike till additional discover and instructed them to return house, solely SSS3 college students are allowed within the faculty. For those who’re nonetheless lurking round, I don’t know what to say about that as a result of we have now already instructed them to go house.”

When PREMIUM TIMES visited the LEA Major Faculty Lugbe A, it was abandoned and the gate was beneath lock and key.

The one trainer current on the faculty, Blessing Oyiza, stated she got here round as a result of she wished to conduct additional classes for some pupils.

She stated the additional classes are often after regular faculty hours. Nevertheless, since there was a strike she requested the dad and mom to ship them throughout the faculty hours.

Ms Oyiza stated the lecturers had been knowledgeable on their WhatsApp platform that there could be a strike and that there could be no regular faculty actions.

“We’re praying that the federal government ought to reply us as a result of kids sitting at house isn’t splendid. If they’re to return again after say one week, it is rather like restarting the teachings. College students sitting at house isn’t good,” she stated.

On the Junior Secondary Faculty, Wuse Zone 2, an administrative workers member, Ahmed Rufai, instructed our reporter that he got here to highschool with out monitoring the information and was not conscious that the strike had been declared.

“Once I obtained to the varsity this morning, I heard that the strike is now official,” he stated.

Mr Rufai stated just a few lecturers got here round, although many college students got here to highschool as they had been additionally not conscious of the strike.

“It was introduced to them that they need to all return house and that there was a strike till additional discover. As you possibly can see everybody has gone house, it’s simply me and one different admin workers that’s round,” he added.

Lagos

Similar to in Abuja, pupils in Lagos public faculties had been despatched again house as quickly as they obtained to the varsity premises.

On the Iba Housing Property Secondary Faculty in Ojo Native Authorities Space, as an illustration, PREMIUM TIMES discovered empty courses. This newspaper gathered that college students within the junior and senior classes besides the SS3 college students had been despatched again house.

Buying and selling stalls throughout the faculty had been additionally discovered empty.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the SS3 are presently taking the West African Senior Faculty Certificates Examination (WASSCE).

The examination board had stated that the continuing train continues regardless of the strike.

Tertiary establishments usually are not ignored

Members of the NLC and TUC disrupted an ongoing examination on the Ondo State Faculty of Well being Expertise, Akure on Monday whereas imposing the nationwide strike.

The establishment started its second-semester exams for the scholars final week and continued with a number of the programs on Monday.

In line with a scholar merely recognized as Titilope, college students had simply began the examination when members of the labour unions got here in and “scattered every part”.

“We weren’t allowed to complete our paper. It’s our second-semester exams,” the coed stated.

The scholars had been seen strolling away from the varsity premises after the disruption.

UDUS

PREMIUM TIMES additionally gathered that the strike has affected educational actions on the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa College (ATBU), Bauchi, and the Usmanu Danfodiyo College, (UDU) Sokoto.

In UDUS, college students had been locked out of the college library on Monday although examinations are at present ongoing.

Nevertheless, the strike didn’t have an effect on the continuing examinations which began on 28 Might, one scholar, Bilyaminu Manne, instructed PREMIUM TIMES.

However members of the non-academic workers have downed instruments, he stated.

“A girl who works there instructed us once we had been ready for the workers that the cashiers are on strike, they aren’t coming. Once I checked the workplace answerable for issuing notification of outcomes round 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., it was additionally locked,” the coed stated.

He added that the college library the place college students research was not open on Monday, forcing college students to go research elsewhere.

ATBU

Helen Yakubu, a final-year scholar of Pc Science at ATBU famous that the strike has affected the submission of her final-year venture proposal.

“The varsity is virtually shut down in the meanwhile until additional discover,” she stated.

“We had been purported to submit our venture subject proposal however the strike has affected it.

She stated there’s at present no electrical energy within the hostels. “Although they pumped water but when this water ought to end and the strike remains to be on, it would take the grace of God for them to pump it once more.”

Strike

The labour unions directed the indefinite strike starting as we speak (Monday) to protest the continual deadlock with the Nigerian authorities as regards the negotiations of a brand new minimal wage to switch the present N30,000 that took impact in 2019.

The labour leaders insisted that the price of residing has skyrocketed and subsequently refused to shift grounds on the N494,000 they demanded as minimal wage. Nevertheless, the federal government stated the quantity proposed by the labour leaders is unsustainable and is as a substitute proposing N60,000. After weeks of negotiations with out reaching a center floor, the labour unions determined to down instruments.

The strike has affected just about all sectors of Nigerian society. Flights are grounded at airports, banks are shut for transactions, residents are experiencing energy outages throughout the nation and college students are shut out of their school rooms.