Workers’ unions in the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on Wednesday lamented federal government’s “insensitivity” to threats posed by Boko Haram.
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), SSANU (Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities), NASU (Non Academic Staff Union), NATT (National Association of Academic Technologies), and Student Union Government (SUG) of the University said they were compelled to bring to the public the precarious security situation and threats to life at UNIMAID.
“Boko Haram proclaims western education as forbidden and the University of Maiduguri is at the forefront of championing western education in the country.
“So for Boko Haram, sustained attacks on the university would attentuate this,” leader of the unions and ASUU chairman, Dr Dani Mamman, said at a press conference in Maiduguri.
He maintained that increasing Boko Haram attacks in the state lately, showed that the insurgents were regrouping , warning government to wake up to its responsibility.
Mamman said the unions were particularly worried that neither the minister of education nor a federal ggovernment delegation had visited the university since January 16th first Boko Haram bombing on the campus which killed a professor of vetenary medicine, Prof. Aliyu Usman Mani.
He noted that the government action reflected its “insensitivity to the plight of the University, students and parents that lost loved ones”, adding that the latest attack on June 25 was the eight deadly attacks within five months.
Mamman urged the federal fgovernment to build a perimeter fence at the varsity and approve the N2.8 billion requested by the University authority to procure modern security equipment to stop Boko Haram from executing “greater attacks” on the campus.
Meanwhile, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has approved the immediate release of N50m for ongoing digging of trenches at UNIMAID.
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