By Sunday Isuwa, Abuja
The Southern Kaduna Youth and Students Forum (SKYSFOM) has called on Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai to reopen all the closed tertiary institutions in the area.
Kaduna State government had closed Kaduna State University (KASU), Kaduna State College of Nursing and Kaduna State College of Education Gidan-waya since last year, citing insecurity.
But speaking at a press conference addressed by its national president, Jesse Galadima, SKYSFOM said the three schools were closed citing security reason adding that other government institutions, primary and secondary schools, markets and other private institutions in the area are operating peacefully without security lapses.
“In the wake of the crisis in Southern Kaduna in December 2016, the Kafanchan campus of Kaduna State University, College of Education, Gidan Waya, as well as School of Nursing, Kafanchan was closed by the state government for security reasons.
“We wish to start by expressing our dissatisfaction and disappointment with the administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufai. It is a government that has no regard for the freedom of expression as enshrined in our constitution.
“However, our three weeks ultimatum which commenced on 12thJune, 2017 for the governor to reopen the schools still stands, and we intend to pass vote of no confidence on the governor if he refuses to reopen our schools after the ultimatum,” Galadima said.
According to the students, the closure of the institutions in Southern Kaduna while higher institutions in insurgency ravaged states like Borno are operating shows that the government has no regard to the educational advancement of the people of Southern Kaduna and the institutions located within the zone.
“It all started on 12th June 2017, when we were supposed to address the world and plead with the governor on the reopening of our tertiary schools through the media, but to our greatest dismay, you were witnesses to the harassment we faced by heavily armed policemen set to truncate our civil way of advocacy through the barricading of the NUJ secretariat by fully armed policemen.”