The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku chapter, has declared a two-week warning strike following allegations of certificate racketeering and mismanagement within the institution.
The industrial action, announced on Tuesday by ASUP Chairman Dr. Michael Ohana, comes amid a controversy triggered by a whistleblower, Mr. Raphael Ufua, who accused some principal officers of the polytechnic of issuing certificates to individuals who never attended the school.
Dr. Ohana said the allegations, which have gone viral on social media, had caused “serious reputational damage” to both staff and the institution.
> “Our members are the worst hit. We can no longer proudly identify as staff of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku,” he lamented. “Despite several meetings and ultimatums, the state government has failed to act decisively on the lingering issues between the Governing Council and the management.”
According to him, the union’s decision to suspend academic activities for 14 days was to compel the Delta State Government to intervene and restore order within the polytechnic.
Dr. Ohana recalled that in February 2025, the Governing Council suspended the Registrar over unverified allegations of result racketeering, and in July 2025, the Rector was similarly suspended over accusations of financial impropriety later dismissed by the governor as unconstitutional.
> “Despite the union’s consistent engagement, the crisis has persisted,” he said. “We are asking government to act on the findings of existing investigative committees rather than forming endless new ones.”
The ASUP chairman also condemned alleged police harassment of lecturers and department heads being summoned to Abuja over suspected forged student results.
> “The Nigerian Police must stop harassing staff, especially our members. Government should call the Governing Council to order and define its limits as applicable in other tertiary institutions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the union called for the arrest and prosecution of the whistleblower, Mr. Ufua, whom they accused of spreading false information that had brought the institution into public disrepute.
ASUP insisted that the alleged certificate forgery was the handiwork of a few individuals who were neither management staff nor principal officers, stressing that the integrity of the polytechnic community should not be undermined.
The two-week strike is expected to disrupt academic activities as staff suspend services to the Delta State Government pending official intervention.
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