21st August, 2017
Sen. Danjuma Laah has expressed concern over the continued closure of tertiary institutions in his Kaduna South Senatorial District.
The state government shut down the three tertiary institutions in the area – Kafanchan campus of the State University, College of Nursing, Kafanchan and the College of Education, Gidan Waya – in December 2016, citing security reasons.
With the return of peace to the area early in 2017, parents, students and other stakeholders have continued to plead with the state government to reopen the schools.
The anxious students have consistently taken to Kaduna and Kafanchan streets to protest the continued closure of the schools but have been unable to change the stand of government.
Laah, who reacted to the continued closure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kafanchan, said that there was “no justification for the closure”.
“Kafanchan is peaceful; secondary and primary schools have been open with no incident against their students and pupils that are younger, and should ordinarily be more vulnerable to attacks.
“Senior secondary school certificate examinations were conducted without any breach of peace. So, one keeps wondering why the tertiary schools, whose students are adults, should remain closed,” he said.
He regretted that the institutions had remained closed for about one year, saying that the development had retarded the educational advancement of students.
“Aside that obvious setback in their educational growth, some of the students have been exposed to social vices and other unwholesome acts as a result of idleness,” he said.
The Legislator alleged that the Kaduna State Government was “pandering to parochial interests” in keeping the schools perpetually locked, and advised Gov. Nasir El-rufai to open the schools “in the interest of the public”.
Laah urged the government to meet with stakeholders, irrespective of political affiliations, to address the situation in the interest of all.