By Abubakar Yunus, Abuja
The Students Wing of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG-SW) has threatened to stage “a mother of all protest” that will lead to the shutdown of all campuses in northern states’ capitals over the hike of tuition fees by some universities.
The threat comes just as the group called on northern stakeholders to speak up and against the passage of the Education Loan Bill, which it noted has a life span, which is neither sustainable nor favourable to the people of the North. The ivory towers in this category according to the Group, are, the University of Maiduguri in the northeast, the Federal University Dutse in the Northwest, and the Federal University Lafia in the Northcentral.
National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Emuseh Gimba Bokunga, made the position of the students known, while addressing the press in Abuja, recently. He said the hike in fee by universities would worsen the hardship and the harsh economic realities, which that have caused mass sufferings to the vast majority of Nigerians. She said, “We also warn Vice Chancellors of Universities in the region to avoid the eventual hazards and unforeseen circumstances by ensuring that no student drops out from Universities as a result of these increases. The group has however warned that if the government and universities authorities fail to address the concerns of the students, they would have no other choice than to embark of mass protests to press home their demands.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we emphatically place on record that any such protests would be total, and shall involve the indefinite shutdown of all campuses, and occupation of major highways and state capitals across the North,” the students said.
“We find it regrettable that as a result of poorly designed policies, hunger is stalking millions of homes, inflation is making life difficult by the day, people are losing jobs, businesses are closing down, infrastructure is decaying, young Nigerians are losing hope of being employed, hospitals are full of people who suffer various illnesses, and cannot afford the fees.
The student leader noted explained that apart from the economic issues affecting ordinary people in the region, there was the big challenge of insecurity with many families losing their loved ones to bandits. She said: “the northern region is currently being held ransom by bandits that operate with ease and at will in all the seven states of the North-West taking total control of land borders, highways, forests, and in some cases railways and airports.
“Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents continue to wreak havoc in the Northeast while farmers and herdsmen clashes escalate in the North- Central. We are convinced therefore that this hike and other potentially damaging policies are part of a calculated design to continuously weaken the North educationally and pauperize it economically. It follows that the North would feel the pain of the hike in tuition more than other parts of the country because of the current challenges and limitations faced by the region because of insecurity and poverty.”
