The Coalition of Northern Groups, Students Wing, have expressed concern over the high rate of insecurity in higher institutions.
The students noted that following the insecurity in the campuses, kidnapping and banditry attacks on campuses are now perceived as the new normal, with students suffering from psychological disorders and kidnapping anxiety.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Kaduna, the National Coordinator of the group, Hassan Adamu, said, “The act has increased student’s anxiety, leading to the withdrawal of female students from schools and poor academic performance.
”The Academic Staff Union of the University has issued a notice of warning strike, as a result of the inability of the Federal Government to resolve issues relating to the agreement reached between them.
”Hyperinflation as a result of the exchange rate policy has multiplied the price of learning materials by 300%, as many students can’t afford essential textbooks, it is so bad that most students cannot afford a meal a day”.
According to him, the increasing hike in electricity tariff has compounded the problem on most of the campuses, saying that almost all the campuses are left in blackout as a result of the inability of the management to settle electricity bills.
He said the increasing cost of PMS is quite alarming, leading to a hike in transportation, pointing out that the federal government has failed to fulfil its promises of donating CNG buses to schools.
The National Coordinator lamented that the region has been hit with a flood disaster leading to the loss of thousands of lives and properties worth billions of naira including Farmlands, which is likely to affect the bumper harvest proposed by experts.
He hailed the release of the Benue State medical students from captivity and called on relevant agencies to provide all the students with adequate psychological and medical healthcare.
Adamu called on the President to revisit his approach and reform the security architecture of the nation, warning that they would no longer tolerate flimsy excuses and the blame game.
The group requested the deployment of troops to all campuses to ease the anxiety among students and called on the President to do everything possible to avert any form of industrial action in the tertiary institutions, saying that they would not go back to those days of spending 7 years for a 4-year course.
The students sympathised with all the victims of flood disasters across the region and Nigeria at large, calling on government at all levels to, as a matter of urgency, roll out relief materials for victims of flood disasters in the region.
The Coalition of Northern Groups, students wing, then called on the Federal Government to review its foreign exchange policies as advised by experts.
”The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, reintroduce electricity subsidies at least for tertiary institutions or provide adequate Solar electrification as expected”.
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
