It was just a few days back when we, along with some lecturers and other personnel of the University of Maiduguri, had casual and random discussions over the events currently in vogue in the institution. Though casual, there were some elements of home truth. Among issues discussed were the current strike of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and the long-awaited perimeter fencing of the UNIMAID.
As a matter of fact, it was I who provoked the discussion of the perimeter fence; an issue that has prodded more boardroom conferences, talks and political discussions but without action. I initiated this aspect of the discussion following several calls I had earlier, on the status of this project, as reflected in my previous articles in The Point, on the following days, and with respective captions– June 1, 2017, “Saving UNIMAID from Boko Haram”; September 24, 2017, “Implications of Ceaseless bombings of UNIMAID”, and November 12, 2017, |Insurgency: Who will rescue UNIMAID?”
Of all the discussions we had, that which pertained to the perimeter fencing took the centre stage. This is obvious as the safety of the University is synonymous with the safety of the personnel of the institution. No one was happy that the long-awaited perimeter fence for the University is still an illusion, more so with assaults of bombs that rocked the University some months back. As we departed, one of the discussants said, “Let’s pray we don’t have a surprise as these Boko Haram people are full of tricks and surprises.”
The frequency of bomb blasts by the suicide bombers around Maiduguri and in particular, UNIMAID, is causing serious concern, and raising eyebrows. This is more so when the so-much-talked-about perimeter fence to safeguard the security of the students and staff remain a mirage
For some time now, the military has intensified its heat on the insurgents in the Sambisa Forest. So intense is the onslaught that the terrorists are reported to have fled most parts of the forest to other places within Borno, in continuation of their raids on the people, reports have it that they have infiltrated Konduga and its environs, as far as Gambole and Dalori areas – all in the periphery of Maiduguri, the state capital. This is in addition to their infiltration of the Muna area in the northern part of the capital. For weeks now, there have been suicide bomb attacks around the state capital and in particular, UNIMAID’s location. This has re-awakened once more, a sort of nightmare, for students and staff of the institution. Most of the attacks caused several deaths and left many injured. As a matter of fact, one is losing count of the bombs due to its frequency. The latest was on Monday night, 19th January 2018, when a very heavy loud of sound was heard in and around the vicinity of UNIMAID, which prompted brief commotion and uneasiness among the University community. The State Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu, later confirmed that the suicide bomber shot by the police was heading to the University.
The frequency of bomb blasts by the suicide bombers around Maiduguri and in particular, UNIMAID, is causing serious concern and raising eyebrows. This is more so when the so-much-talked-about perimeter fence to safeguard the security of the students and staff remain a mirage. The silence of the authorities in this regard continue to prick, prod and provoke questions: who wants the University dead? Why have the authorities, especially the Federal Government, remained silent or non-committal in this dispensation? For about a year now, UNIMAID has been subjected to tutelage of fear and intimidation –no thanks to the Boko Haram sect. Do we have to wait until the worst happened, leaving the hapless members of the university community to be running helter skelter, or still continue in the blame game? Who is working directly or indirectly to make parents of the students that would be involved shed tears, if the calamity is allowed to strike? Who are the sponsors of this heinous crime against this institution? These and other questions are agitating, presently, sane minds.
It would be recalled that the visit of the Minister for Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu-who was accompanied by some members of the Nigerian Universities Commission-to UNIMAID last year, following an earlier one by officials of the Federal Ministry of Education to assess the security situation, gave hope that all would be well soon. This assurance became re-assured by the Minister’s committal statement to the management of the University that the security of the institution was a priority to the Federal Government and the Education Ministry, in particular. For now, nothing concrete has happened.
However, the Borno State Government under Governor Kashim Shettima is contributing its widow’s mite to ameliorating the security situation, by giving the University a sum of N50 Million to assist it in digging trenches as an interim measure and some additional sum to assist in the building of some critical walls at some borders of the University.
As a result of various suicide bomb attacks at the University, the University has lost among others a professor, security personnel, destruction to infrastructure and others. The management of the University is currently handling the situation with some interim measures, but the capacity to bring the security situation under effective control is lacking since it has no financial muscle to achieve this. For example, the institution needs N2.6 billion to build its perimeter fence covering 25 kilometres, to make the institution safe.
UNIMAID, established in 1975, is the premier tertiary institution in the North East zone. It is located in Jere Local Government Council of the state and has borders with Mafa and Konduga Local Government councils, all in Borno. It is situated along Maiduguri-Konduga-Bama Road, leading to the main entrance of the Sambisa Forest at Kawuri village, where the insurgents had their sanctuary for almost seven
years.
Let spare or save the students, their parents, guardians in particular and Borno in general the agony of continued despair, fear, hopelessness, intimidation and all that keep the mind and soul in perpetual state of uncertainty. It’s time for the concerned authorities, especially the Federal Government, to honour their words by fulfilling their promises. Let’s rescue UNIMAID, one of the nation’s oldest tertiary institutions.
*Izekor, a journalist, public affairs analyst, is a member of the Board of Advisers of The
Point.
