BY SUZAN EDEH

Bauchi – Following the lingering crisis between the Bauchi State government and the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, ATAP, the Joint Action Committee of Academic and Non-Academic staff of all tertiary institutions in Bauchi State has given a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to rescind its decision to close down the polytechnic or face industrial action.

In a statement by the Chairman of the Committee, Comrade Usman Mohammed and the Secretary, Comrade Abdullahi Yalwa respectively, they urged the state Governor, Isa Yuguda to sack the Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Mohammed Aminu for misrepresenting it on the earlier agreements with the government.

They also called on the government to rescind its plan to cite the School of Law of the A. D Rufai College of Legal and Islamic Studies at the main campus, saying that it should be cited at Hammayo campus of the institution.

The committee made up of representatives from ATAP, College of Education, Azare and the A. D Rufai College of Legal and Islamic Studies , Misau acting in solidarity warned that if the state government failed to meet the stipulated demands within three weeks, they will have no alternative than to go on strike.

Meanwhile, socio-economic activities were nearly paralysed as students of ATAP, staged a protest to register their displeasure with the state government’s closure of the school.

The protesting students set bonfire in front of the school along the busy Bauchi –Jos road but were dispersed by a detachment of policemen who threw canisters of tear-gas at them.

Some of the students described the government of Mallam Isa Yuguda as insensitive by ordering that the students from the School of Management Studies out of the main campus without making alternative arrangements for them.

The government plans to convert the School of Management Studies to Specialist Hospital having donated the place the hospital was located to the Federal Government for establishment of the Teaching Hospital.

One of the students, Ismail Usman Dodo decried the lack of planning of the state government saying “It is disheartening that the government will just ask students to pack out without considering the implications on academic activities. That is why we are protesting.”

But the government spokesmen said that the polytechnic was forced to close down because of the protests by the students adding that the situation could be hijacked by hoodlums especially with the current security situation in the state.

When Vanguard arrived the scene of protest, some of the students said they would remain in the school because they had no money to transport themselves back home.

One of the students, Abdulhamid Mohammed who said he lives in Onitsha said he was  stranded. “I just saw a notice that we should vacate. It is very sad. Other students are concerned about how the sudden closure would ‘’affect their academic activities,’’ as some of them had been preparing to write their examinations and did not know how long they would  remain at home,” he added.