By Mu’azu Abubakar Albarkawa, Kaduna
The Academic and Non-academic staff Unions at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Zaria, Kaduna state has threatened to withdraw services over the planned withdrawal of military and other security personnel guarding the college.
Mr Usman-Shehu Sulaiman, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of the Polytechnics (ASUP) Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Chapter disclosed this during a joint press conference by the unions on Saturday in Zaria.
Sulaiman said the press conference was to inform the state government, parents and other key stakeholders on the security and other challenges hindering academic research, learning and other goals of the institution.
He said on June 11, 2021 academic staff, their families and students were abducted at the school.
He said the abduction forced the state government to replace the school’s security guards with military personnel and some members of Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KadVS).
According to him, the military and KadVS personnel at the college were planning to leave the college over non-payment of their four months allowances.
“The withdrawal of service by the military at the school would put everybody at risk of abduction and other criminal acts. There are informers who will leak this development,’’ he said.
He added the monthly overhead from the state government was not paid since February which makes so many challenges surface at the school.
He said the non-payment of the overhead makes the school to delay exams and results presentations, provide identity cards to students and weed control exercises among others.
The union leader said the school was on its 13th week of resumption, it was supposed to commence examinations but currently there was no booklet for such examinations.
“We will issue a one-week ultimatum to the government to address payment of the backlog of allowances to the security; if nothing was no favorable response, we would proceed on strike.
“We would ask our members residing at the staff quarters to find alternative accommodation; advise the staff residing off campus to desist from coming to the institution.
“Students would also be advised to remain at home as there will be no guarantee on their safety,’’ he said.
Corroborating, Malam Mahmud Aliyu-Kwarbai, Chairman Non-academic Staff Union at the school said staff members live in constant fear of 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“We don’t have functional security in the school, our security was withdrawn and replaced by security personnel from Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KadVS).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 lead to serious theft and vandalism of school properties.
“There was an instance where thieves cut the armored cable of the school transformer in the afternoon at the annex campus of the college due to the withdrawal of services by the KadVS personnel of the college,’’ Kwarbai said.
He added that the Single Treasury Account (TSA) policy of the government has jeopardize the smooth running of the institution as the college received an overhead once since Jan.2023
School’s public relations officer, Malam Abdullahi Shehu confirmed the development to newsmen adding that the school management was working toward addressing the identified challenges.
However, Shehu said the Rector, Dr. Mohammed-Kabir Abdullahi has secured payment of the allowances to the military personnel at the school.
