Striking Varsity Workers Disrupt JAMB Mock Exams

There was pandemonium at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Monday, when non-academic staff of the institution disrupted the mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, being held at the school.

The mock examination was called-off after striking union members interrupted proceedings following a disagreement with the Vice Chancellor.

One of the workers, Mr Olusoji, who spoke to newsmen, said the VC, Eyitope Ogunbodede, threatened to dismiss them despite the awareness of their strike.

He further said the Vice Chancellor had threatened to invite the police into the campus to clear the roadblocks mounted by the striking workers.

The examination, which is organized by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, was aimed at allowing candidates to test their skills and level of preparedness ahead of the 2018 UTME scheduled to hold between March 9 and 17.

Recently, a directive from the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the striking unions compelled the non-academic staff to intensify the ongoing strike in their various universities.

The JAC comprises the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

The unions on December 4, 2017, embarked on an indefinite strike due to the alleged non-implementation of the agreements they entered into with the Federal Government in 2009 and 2017.

They are also protesting the earned allowances of N23bn released by the Federal Government to the universities’ workers around November 2017 in which the three non-teaching unions got 11 per cent.