Protesting workers of the Plateau State College of Health Technology, Pankshin, under the auspices of the Joint Union of Plateau State Owned Tertiary Institutions (JUPTI) on Thursday 2nd February shut down the health institution.
According to reports the protest which started on Wednesday resumed on Thursday morning as the workers barricaded the gate and prevented vehicles from going in or leaving the campus.
The situation was said to have grounded activities at the campus and left the students stranded.
Many of the students who had waited in vain for their classes in the morning were seen returning home when news correspondents visited the institution around 1:30 pm on Thursday.
The aggrieved workers were also seen marching through the campus to the gate carrying placards with different inscriptions some of which read
“College of Health Technology, Pankshin is not a welfare ground for politicians”, “The Council position on provost appointment must be respected”, “College of Health Pankshin, Oil well for Plateau state Government functionaries”, “Appointment of Dr. Prince Fwanje: Lalong’s legacy project?”,”Our pension is for life”, The law governing College of Health Technology, Pankshin must be respected”, “Casual and Temporary workers: No allowances over 40 months and no appointment”, among others.
Addressing the workers, the Chairman of the Joint Union of Plateau state Tertiary Owned Tertiary Institution, Gokir Fwenshinen Ayuba, accused Governor Simon Lalong-led administration of working to destroy the health institution without regard to the law governing the college
Ayuba who insisted that the workers would not accept the re-appointment of the college provost, Dr. Prince Fwanje, vowed to continue with the protest until their demands were met.
The union leader said “We are saying it loud to the hearing of the community here in Pankshin and to the hearing of the government that enough is enough. We are tired of the current leadership in the College of Health Technology Pankshin. This administration has stayed for four years and there has not been any reasonable development in the institution. What we have had is only an increment in school fees every year and we have not seen anything that has been done with it.
“As workers of this institution, we are saying that if the government has sympathy for us and for this noble institution which is the oldest College of Health Technology in Nigeria and the West African sub-region, then it must come to our aid because the college is looking more of a pre-primary school and we can’t continue this way. We want to grow and we want the government to intervene in this matter so that we can get leaders who will come and develop the health institution. By the time we allow leaders to keep coming and milking from the institution’s little resources and just be going like that, then our problem will continue. We want a precedent to be set now so that henceforth, any leader who is coming here must know that he must be up and doing.”
The Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union in the institution, James Lohnan, who also decried the attitude of the government on the matter added
“As a union, we met with the State Commissioner for Higher Education on the need for a due process to be followed in the appointment of another Provost for the college this time around because the 2003 law of the college which was gazetted in 2005 stipulates in Part 4 Section 12 (2 and 3) that:
“There shall be a provost for the college who shall be appointed from within the college by the governor on the advice of the council or that the governor on the advice of the council may appoint the provost from outside the college if no person within the college is qualified to be so appointed.
“We left from the meeting with the Commissioner with an assurance that they will comply with the law only for us to hear an announcement that the same person who is an outsider and whose leadership is unhelpful to the college has been reappointed as the college provost in contravention to the law
“We are saying that his reappointment is unacceptable to the workers because his appointment was against the recommendation of the governing council and moreover, we have qualified and capable persons within the institution who will head the college. So we, want the government to respect the law”
The PUNCH reports that the Plateau state Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Bernard Matur, had last week announced the reappointment of Dr. Prince Fwanje as the Provost of the college following the expiration of his four-year tenure in the first instance.
When contacted to speak on the worker’s protest, the commissioner and the newly appointed Provost could not be reached at the time of filling this report as their phones were switched off.
The Federal Government, in partnership with UNESCO and the Pan-African University, has launched a mobile learning initiative to improve teacher professional development through digital technology.
The programme integrates mobile-based learning into the Pan-African Virtual and Electronic University Initiative and is designed to provide teachers and school leaders with flexible access to training resources through technology-enabled learning platforms.
The three-day Master Training Programme, themed “Empowering Female Teachers and School Leaders through Integrating Mobile-based Learning in the Pan-African Virtual and Electronic University (PAVEU) Initiative,” is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa and the Pan African University, with funding support from the Government of Japan.
According to the ministry, the initiative targets five African countries: Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Kenya and South Sudan. It seeks to expand access to continuous professional development for educators, particularly female teachers and school leaders.
The Federal Government, UNESCO and Pan African University launch a mobile learning initiative to improve teacher professional development across five African countries through digital technology. Image credit: Image FX.
“The initiative leverages mobile technology to overcome barriers such as time constraints, geographical limitations and inadequate infrastructure, enabling educators to access quality learning resources anytime and anywhere through a low-data, offline-friendly platform,” the ministry said.
Mobile learning plan to address barriers facing teachers in Nigeria
The ministry said the programme aims to address barriers that have limited teachers’ access to regular training, including geographical constraints, connectivity challenges and inadequate learning infrastructure.
“The initiative leverages mobile technology to overcome barriers such as time constraints, geographical limitations and inadequate infrastructure, enabling educators to access quality learning resources anytime and anywhere through a low-data, offline-friendly platform,” the ministry said.
The programme, the Federal Ministry of Education said, places particular emphasis on female teachers and school leaders as part of efforts to promote inclusive access to professional development opportunities.
“Accessible professional development is essential to strengthening learning outcomes and building a resilient, inclusive and future-ready education system,” the ministry said.
The deployment of mobile learning tools aligns with broader efforts across Africa to use digital platforms to improve access to education and professional training. UNESCO-IICBA has previously promoted digital development programmes for teachers across the continent, focusing on improving teacher competencies and strengthening education systems through capacity building.
UNESCO’s Global Teacher Campus initiative has also focused on providing online courses to enhance teachers’ digital skills and pedagogical competencies. The organisation estimates that the world will require about 44 million additional teachers by 2030, including an estimated 15 million new teachers in sub-Saharan Africa.
The PAVEU initiative, developed under the Pan African University framework, is designed to support virtual learning and expand access to higher education and professional development opportunities across African countries through digital platforms.
The Federal Government has in recent years introduced several digital education programmes, including virtual learning platforms and digital teacher training initiatives, as part of efforts to integrate technology into Nigeria’s education system.
In 2026, the government launched the HOPE-EDU programme, a $552 million education initiative expected to support about 29 million children, more than 500,000 teachers and 65,000 public schools through improved learning outcomes and education infrastructure.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria’s education system faces a significant learning crisis, with more than 70% of children lacking foundational literacy and numeracy skills, partly due to weak teacher capacity and limited access to standardised professional development opportunities.
The challenge is compounded by digital access limitations. UNICEF reports that only 36% of Nigeria’s population uses the internet, while 47% of teachers possess basic ICT skills, highlighting gaps in educators’ ability to fully leverage digital learning tools.
UNESCO-IICBA said the initiative is built around the use of mobile platforms to provide flexible learning opportunities for teachers who may be unable to attend traditional face-to-face training programmes. The institute added that the project is designed to strengthen teacher professional development and resilience by integrating mobile-based learning solutions into national teacher education systems across the five participating African countries.
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A month after the mass abduction of 46 Oyo schoolchildren and teachers by terrorists on May 15 and the decapitation of a teacher, the captives remain in the forest despite military claims and political promises from President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde.
The terrorists kidnapped the students and staffers after invading schools in the Esienle and Yawota communities in Orire local council in Oyo state.
Days after the abduction, one of the teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded by the terrorists, pressuring the government to meet their demands for the release of the abductees.
On May 19, four days after the abduction, the Defence Headquarters, in a statement by its spokesperson, Michael Onoja, said, “Troops are currently deployed and actively operating within the forest in pursuit of the perpetrators and in search of the abducted victims.”
“Troops made contact with the criminal elements two days ago, have since reorganised, and are continuing the search and pursuit operations with full determination.”
The military and the government cited collateral damage as a reason for not taking out the terrorists.
While the schoolchildren and their teachers languish in captivity, Messrs Tinubu and Makinde have been engaging in electioneering as they chase their presidential dreams, both emerging as their party’s candidates for the 2027 election.
On May 31, Mr Makinde visited the hostages’ communities, promising their families the safe return of those abducted.
“This is not the time to start trading blame on who should be responsible for the release of these children between the state and federal government. This is just the time to come together to rescue our children and their teachers, Mr Makinde told the families of abductees. “All I need is your cooperation. Please trust us. I cannot speak much because it has security implications. I know your hearts are bleeding. My heart is also bleeding. Please trust us. We will secure their release.”
Similarly, a delegation representing Mr Tinubu, led by his chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, visited the families and made a similar promise.
In a video released by the terrorists, Rachael Alamu, one of the hostages and the principal of Community High School Esinele, begged Messrs Tinubu and Makinde to negotiate with the terrorists to secure their release.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State House of Assembly has opposed negotiating with the terrorists.
Debo Ogundoyin, the speaker of the assembly, said the state would not pay ransom, give weapons to terrorists or change laws to accommodate the kidnappers.
Several protests have followed the government’s failure to rescue the hostages.
Amid public outrage and discontent, many Nigerians protested across several states, including Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Bayelsa, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory, demanding the immediate rescue of the hostages.
In his Democracy Day speech on June 12, Mr Tinubu said, “Though this year’s mood is dampened by the abduction of our children in Oyo and Borno, we remain hopeful for their safe return. Democracy without security is not solid enough.”
The president urged terrorists and bandits across the country to lay down their arms or face the wrath of his administration.
News4 days ago
