Poly staff Unions Threaten Strike Over Insecurity, Other Challenges
The Academic and Non-academic Staff Unions of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria have threatened to embark on strike over the planned withdrawal of the military and other security personnel guarding the college.
The institution’s chapter Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Mr Usman-Shehu Sulaiman, disclosed this at a joint press conference by the unions on Saturday.
Sulaiman said that the press conference was to inform the State Government, parents and other key stakeholders on the security and other challenges hindering research, learning and other goals of the institution.
He recalled that on June 11, 2021, the academic staff, their families and students were abducted at the school.
According to him, the development forced the State Government to replace the school’s security guards with military personnel and members of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KadVS).
Sulaiman said that the military and KadVS personnel at the college were planning to leave over the alleged non-payment of their four months allowance.
“The withdrawal of service by the military would put everybody in the school at risk of abduction and other criminality.
“There are informants who will leak this development to bandits and other criminal elements,’’ he said.
“We will issue a one-week ultimatum to the government to address the payment of the backlog of allowances to the security.
“If nothing was done and no favourable response, we will proceed on strike.
“We will ask our members residing in the staff quarters to find alternative accommodation and also ask the staff residing off campus to cease to come to school.
“Students would also be advised to remain at home as there will be no guarantee of their safety,’’ he said.
Sulaiman further said that the monthly overhead from the State Government had not been paid since February, which compounded many challenges in the institution.
He said the non-payment of the overhead made the school to delay exams and results presentations, provision of identity cards to students and weed control, among others.
The union leader regretted that the polytechnic, which was on its 13th week since resumption, was supposed to commence examinations but there was no booklet.
Also, the Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union of the institution, Mr Mahmud Aliyu-Kwarbai, said that members lived in constant fear of possible security breach.
“We don’t have functional security in the school, our security was withdrawn and replaced by security personnel from Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KadVS).
“The KadVS personnel attached to the school had left their beat because of the non-payment of their allowances, which led to serious theft and vandalism of school property.
“There was an instance where thieves cut the armoured cable of the school transformer at the annex campus of the college in the afternoon due to the absence of security,’’ Aliyu-Kwarbai said.
He further said that the Single Treasury Account policy of the government had jeopardised the smooth running of the institution.
He said that the college received its overhead subvention once since January, 2023.
In a reaction, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Abdullahi Shehu, confirmed the development to newsmen.
Shehu said that the Rector, Dr Mohammed-Kabir Abdullahi, had received funds for the payment of the allowances of the military personnel drafted to the institution.
He said that efforts were also being made to address other challenges raised by the unions.
