Academic chaos erupted at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) on Monday as lecturers forcibly shut down semester examinations, stranding hundreds of mid-test students and bringing the campus to a standstill.
Members of the university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) invaded lecture halls, instructing invigilators to stop exams immediately. The dramatic move follows a national directive for a two-week warning strike, activated with immediate effect.
“Every exam in the faculty has been cancelled,” one shocked student told reporters anonymously. “No more exams till after two weeks. UNIBEN ASUU has mobilised its members to disrupt any ongoing exams.”
The union is protesting the Federal Government’s alleged failure to honour long-standing agreements concerning funding, earned academic allowances, and the implementation of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).
The local ASUU leadership acted swiftly on the national order, sending directives to department heads and vacating exam venues. In a show of solidarity, some non-academic staff reportedly joined the disruption, locking faculty buildings to prevent any further academic activity.
The government has responded with a threat. President Bola Tinubu’s administration warned it would invoke a “no work, no pay” rule against striking lecturers.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the Minister of Education, Prof. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmed, accused ASUU of abandoning dialogue. They claimed the government had made “sincere and consistent efforts” to resolve the dispute, urging the union to return to negotiations.
For now, the university’s gates remain open, but its academic heart has stopped beating, leaving students’ futures in limbo.
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