Strike: Mapoly students angry with lecturers, say "they're selfish"

Students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta are expressing disappointments in their lecturers for embarking on an indefinite strike barely three days to the commencement of their much delayed second semester examination.

The students, who ought to have finished their exam, have been roaming the streets for more than one month ago following a crisis that ensued between the lecturers and the Ogun State government.

The lecturers have refused to conduct the second semester exam as a result of alleged government's refusal to listen to their complaints in its bids to upgrade Mapoly to a university and establish Ogun State Polytechnic in Ipokia.

The lecturers, after a meeting with the state government two weeks ago, resumed academic activities, with a plan to commence the second semester exam on Monday November 6.

Students, many of whom have been mobilised for the one year NYSC, were said to have started preparations for the exam before they were hit with the news of an indefinite strike on Friday evening.

Our correspondent gathered that the news of the indefinite strike was a rude shock to the students, many of whom were seen in groups around Oluwo, Onikolobo, Panseke, Adigbe and others, lambasting their lecturers.

The students, who were once in solidarity with their lecturers,  became angry and started calling them names for not considering them before embarking on the strike action.

Many of them could not hide their anger as they took to the social media to berate the striking lecturers, who they said are wasting their time for their selfish interests.

The lecturers, under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Mapoly Chapter, led by Kola Abiola, were said to have embarked on the indefinite strike following the failure of the state government to honour their demands.

It would be recalled that the union had given the government two weeks ultimatum to meet their new

demands.

Meanwhile, the students have appealed to the state government and the lecturers to come to a roundtable and find a solution to the lingering crisis.

"Many of us are going for service, some are going for industrial attachments and our house rents will expire by December. They should please consider us and our parents." a student pleaded on Facebook.