Students in tertiary institutions under the aegis of
Southern Kaduna Youth and Students Forum (SKYSFOM) have called on Kaduna State
Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai to reopen their schools or face vote of no confidence
from them.
In the wake of crisis in southern Kaduna in December 2016,
the Kafanchan campus of Kaduna State University, College of Education, Gidan
Waya, as well as School of Nursing, Kafanchan were closed by the state
government for security reasons.
Addressing a press conference, on Tuesday, National
President, SKYSFOM, Galadima Jesse said, “We wish to start by expressing our
dissatisfaction and disappointment with the administration of Governor Nasir
El- Rufai.
“It is a Government that has no regard for the freedom of
expression as enshrined in our constitution.
“However, our three weeks ultimatum which commenced on
12thJune, 2017 for the governor to reopen the schools still stands, and we
intend to pass vote of no confidence on the governor if he refuses to reopen
our schools after the ultimatum.
“He has also no regard for the educational advancement of
the people of Southern Kaduna and the institutions located within the zone.
“It all started on 12th June 2017, when we were supposed to
address the world and plead with the Governor on the reopening of our tertiary
schools through the media, but to our greatest dismay, you were witnesses to
the harassment we faced by heavily armed policemen set to truncate our civil
way of advocacy through the barricading of the NUJ secretariat by fully armed
policemen.
“The main issue we want Nigerians to know is the despicable
and inhumane treatment meted to students through the closure of the College of
Education, Gidan Waya, the Kafanchan Campus of the Kaduna State University and
the School of Nursing, Kafanchan.
“These schools were closed down since December 2016 and up
to now, they remained closed. Infact, the Kafanchan Campus of the Kaduna State
University was closed down on the 19th of December, 2016 and has remained
closed since.
“College of Education Gidan Waya was also officially closed
on the 20th of December 2016 but educational activities were already paralysed
since late October due to the attacks on communities close to the school that
wasn’t quickly tackled.
“The reasons given by the State Government is
‘insecurity’. We find that laughable, ridiculous and an indictment on the
government.
“Assuming that the excuse of insecurity is valid, then how
come all other schools – private and public, state institutions, state
agencies, markets and so many other institutions and facilities have been open
all these while?
“Doesn’t the continued closure of the three tertiary
institutions indict the Government that it has been unable to secure it
citizens?
“Isn’t it also an indictment and an indirect way of saying
that the security personnel drafted to Southern Kaduna, including a permanent
military formation, is directly telling us that it is not able to secure the
three schools?
“Can the state Governor explain to us why the University of
Maiduguri that has been persistently attacked and bombed remains open today,
while the tertiary institutions in Southern Kaduna, that have never been
attacked or bombed should be closed for close to a year?
“Is the State Governor still trying to give a wrong
impression to the outside world that Southern Kaduna is still in crisis when
peace has returned to the zone?
By Noah Ebije
