A peaceful but heavy protest by students of Auchi Polytechnic Auchi has brought vehicular movement to an abrupt stop at the ever busy Benin/Abuja express way, a road linking the North and the south.
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The students whose grievance was due to the continued strike by the ASUP (Auchi poly chapter) due to an unpaid arrears by the Federal govt, undue demotion, sack and suspension of some lecturers alleged to be corrupt and other factors which the lecturers are pushing on to be met by Management and Federal govt of Nigeria.
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Over two months now, academic activities in the school has been epileptic and now, it has been grounded totally following the strike action by lecturers of the institution who are at loggerhead with the management of the school and the Federal govt. over the sack of their colleagues alleged to be corrupt, payment of arrears etc.
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Trying to bring both the lecturers and the management of the school to a round table discussion by the SUG body proves abortive as the lecturers are more agitative than ever. And the students who seems to be the most hit by the tussles has now took to the Federal road carrying out a peaceful protest with several inscriptions on their placards, thereby sending signals to the appropriate authorities to come to their aid as the tussles which started since last year after the tenure of the previous Rector has now be full blown, thereby frustrating academic activities and stretching the academic calender of the school.
The protest is peaceful, but the Federal road has been blocked by the students thereby shutting movement for about two hours now.
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Last year’s academic calender slided into this year due to this same issue and many of the final year students are still yet to be called for service due to late or no registration for the NYSC scheme.
More details later…