Plateau State University (PLASU), located in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, has been forced to shut down indefinitely due to an ongoing strike action initiated by the local wing of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The strike is a response to the university’s failure to pay the lecturers’ salaries.
In an attempt to counter the narrative surrounding the closure, the University management issued a statement claiming that the closure was merely a one-month break, starting from July 20, 2023, until August 21, 2023, to allow the lecturers to grade students’ examination papers.
However, a message widely circulated among the students revealed that the responsibility for the current situation lies with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at PLASU.
The message stated that academic activities had been suspended due to the strike, which meant that the external defense sessions which were scheduled to hold would no longer take place.
“ASUU of PLASU has declared suspension of academic activities. As a result of this, the external defence will not be holding. We regret whatever this might cause. New date will be announced as soon as ASUU’s declaration is lifted,” the message said.
A student of the University, preferring to remain anonymous, disclosed to NIGERIAN ANCHOR that the rumours about a potential strike had been circulating for some time, as a result of the non-payment of lecturers’ salary arrears for five months.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Bernard Matur, had tried to persuade the lecturers not to proceed with the strike, but when it became evident that the backlog of salaries would not be addressed by the end of July, the strike commenced.
The strike is the latest in a series of challenges faced by the university. Prior to this, both students and lecturers had been operating under precarious conditions due to the surrounding area’s insecurity.
Female hostels were regularly targeted by armed criminals, leading to injuries to students and theft of valuables such as mobile phones and electronic gadgets.
The porous nature of the campus, which is lacking a perimeter fence, and inadequate deployment of armed security personnel, were cited as factors contributing to the heightened crime.
The ongoing strike has significantly impacted the morale of both students and staff of Plateau State University, which was once renowned as one of the best state government-owned universities in Nigeria before it fell into difficult times during the twilight of former Governor Simon Lalong’s administration.
This current strike comes just eight months after a prolonged eight-month strike called by the national body of ASUU.
Some parents, who spoke to this publication, however, remain hopeful that the newly elected governor of Plateau State, Barr Caleb Mutfwang, will take the necessary steps to expedite the resolution of the strike and restore stability to the university.
