By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri-
The Borno State Government has ordered the immediate closure of The Colleges of Education Bama and Konduga, following students’ protest on campus over inadequate hostel accommodations after paying N3500 charges through remita and bank payments as required by the school’s authority.
It was gathered that students from Kashim Ibrahim College of Education Maiduguri, and Umar Ibn Ibrahim El Kanemi College of Science and Technology, Bama as well as College of Administrative Studies Konduga were denied accommodations despite payment of the charges at the bank while others were stranded for several weeks, sleeping in the classrooms within the school premises.
It was also learnt that a student died in one of the school’s hostels last week following a brief protracted illness with no medical attention. However, the school has no source of water supply within the campus since the TCN power lines were vandalized .
Confirming the incident to NATIONAL ACCORD in a statement on Friday, The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Mr Mohammed Abatcha, said the decision was to avoid escalation of violence within the schools’ premises.
According to him: “As a result of the reported clashes between students of Kashim Ibrahim College of Education, Maiduguri, and Umar Ibn Ibrahim El-Elkanemi College of Education, Science and Technology, Bama, on 27th May 2021, over the issue of hostel accommodation. The Ministry of Higher Education in consultation with the management of the two colleges has decided to close the two tertiary institutions for two weeks”.
“The decision became necessary to avoid further escalation of the clashes and to save lives and properties pending further investigation of the root cause of the matter”. He explained.
It would be recalled that the present administration had decided to merged all the Colleges of Education with the Borno State University (BOSU), which has resulted to merging of all the students and lecturers as well as some adminsitrative staff of colleges into the state university after the recommendation of a high powered committee constituted by Governor Babagana Zulum recently.
This implies that the Borno has no State owned College of Education or Science and Technology of Administration, except for the newly proposed and approved Federal College of Education Gwoza and Federal Polytechnic Monguno.
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