By Leshi Adebayo
In reaction to the extension of the ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by 2 months, the management of the University of Benin has decided to shut the school till further notice.
This development was contained in a statement released on Tuesday, and signed by the school’s Registrar, A.A. Bobola.
The statement titled, “Fallout of ASUU Roll-over Strike: Temporary Closure Of The University of Benin” read in part: “Following the extension of the four week strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and after due consultation with the Management of the University of Benin,the Vice Chancellor, Professor Lilian Salami, on behalf of Senate, is closing down the University until further notice.”
Giving reasons for the closure, the UNIBEN said, “The action has become expedient as there is no justifiable reason for students to continue to stay on campus when lectures and other academic activities are not going on.”
As a result, the school management ordered students to leave the hostels with 48-hours, urging them to be on the lookout for new development.
“Consequently, students are to vacate the hostels within fourty-eight (48)hours of this notice. They are enjoined to monitor the situation closely inorder to be abreast of the school’s eventual re-opening. Management wishes the students safe journey to their respective destinations,” the statement added.
Recall that ASUU, on Monday, announced the extension of its ongoing strike action by eight more weeks in order to give the Federal Government and its agencies enough time to meet the lingering demands of the union.
The issues include the renegotiation of the ASUU-FG 2009 agreement, a university revitalization fund, and the implementation of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) payroll software, among others.
However, according to Nairametrics, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba claimed that the FG had met all the demands of the union.
