By Demola Akinyemi
ILORIN – Against the backdrop of the killing of 46 students at Mubi, Adamawa State, the Federal Government has said vice chancellors, rectors and provosts of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, respectively, would be held responsible for the safety of students, particularly those living off campus beginning from the 2013 academic year.
Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, who made this known in Ilorin, blamed the recent violence on some students of higher institutions across the country on the chief executives of the institutions, saying the government’s new position followed its understanding that it was not the fault of the students to live off campus.
Rufa’i spoke at the commissioning of the new Joint Admissions Matriculation Board, JAMB, Zonal Office in Ilorin, yesterday.
According to the minister, the protection of lives of students, even when they live off campus should be of utmost concern to the heads of tertiary institutions, “especially when it is not absolutely their choice to live off campus, but because we cannot afford to accommodate all of them on campus.”
The minister, who noted that the recent Mubi killings could not be justified under any guise, said every Nigerian should condemn the unfortunate incident and support government’s fight against the current security challenges.
Rufa’i further pointed out that there would have been no basis for appointment of headship of higher institutions if they were not occupied by human beings who had property.
He asked the heads of tertiary institutions to ensure that the safety of lives and property remained a major priority.
SOURCE: 10 October 2012.
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