Students of the Plateau State Polytechnic on Monday staged a peaceful protest over the postponement of their semester examinations by the school authorities.

The students trooped out in large numbers and blocked the Yakubu Gowon Way, a major highway leading into and out of Jos.

The postponement of the examination was as a result of an indefinite strike embarked upon by the lecturers of the institution.

The lecturers had issued a notice of strike to the government over its inability to meet their demands of earned allowances and other sundry issues.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria, Miss Deborah John, described the decision of the management to postpone the examination as an attempt to truncate their academic journey.

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“We came to school this morning to start our examinations only to see a circular that our lecturers have been on strike since Friday.

“We were not informed; nobody said anything to us; we just discovered that we cannot start our examinations.

“This is why we are protesting and it is a peaceful protest because all we want is go in and write our examinations.

“We have spent over three years in just one semester owing to Covid-19 lockdown, but largely due to the various strikes embarked upon by our lecturers.

“We keep paying for our accommodation, school fees, and other expenses. More so, we are getting old and by the time we graduate, we can’t find jobs because of age,” John lamented.

Another student, Israel Longdu, decried the incessant strike by their lecturers, adding that the development has stagnated their academic progression.

“Nobody has come to address us on the issue and we feel this is not right.

“We demand a proper explanation from the management on why we cannot start our examinations today.

“We are tired of this back and forth; our academic journey is suffering and this is not good for us,” he decried.

When contacted, Mr John Ramadan of the Public Relations Department of the institution promised to furnish NAN with details on the strike soon.

There was a heavy presence of armed security personnel at the scene of the protest to forestall breakdown of law and order.

The Osun State Government has handed down a three-week ultimatum for civil servants to get vaccinated or be barred from the state secretariat.

The Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Public Health, Dr ‘Siji Olamiju, disclosed the government’s plan in a chat with The PUNCH on Friday.

Olamiju, who also said the government, had made Staff Clinic at Abere Secretariat a point of test for civil servant, adding that the workers had been responding.

He said, “The Ministry of Health has made the staff clinic at Abere a point of test for all the civil servant in the secretariat and they are responding. After we have given them a certain period of time, those who still remain unvaccinated may not be allowed to enter into the secretariat.

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“We have given them a period of three weeks to have themselves vaccinated. In this regard, the Head of Service is actually the campaign for this, sensitising all the ministries, department and agencies of the availability of test and eventual vaccination. And after this given period, if anyone still remains recalcitrant; we will know which action to take.”

Meanwhile, the state government through a circular to all ministries, departments and agencies obtained on Sunday mandated all public servants who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19 to visit the nearest government health centre to them or their place of work to get vaccinated.

The circular signed by a Permanent Secretary, S. A Aina, on Head of Service, reads partly, “This directive of Mr Governor must be taken seriously by all the workers.”