Benue State University Medical students holds peaceful

Oct 27, 2023 - 07:54

Benue State University Medical students holds peaceful

The peaceful march by medical students was necessitated by some long-standing challenges we have faced in the College of Health Sciences at Benue State University, Makurdi.

The medical students' association had written severally and had also interfaced with the college of health sciences management on these challenges; however, recent challenges with accommodations precipitated the peaceful march to see the Visitor of the university and Governor of Benue State, His Excellency Rev. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia.

It is worthy of note that we made several futile attempts to resolve the current accommodation issues through several meetings with the college of health sciences management and the general university management through a committee set up by the Vice Chancellor.

The peaceful march, which was initially slated to take place on October 23, was postponed due to the intervention of the student union leadership and the Vice Chancellor to solve the issues, which did not yield tangible results. The medical students, following a congress decision on October 25, 2023, proceeded on a peaceful march to see the Visitor of the University to intervene in the current issues of accommodations and other perennial issues. We came up with the following issues to present to the Governor:

1. ACCOMODATION

I. Overcrowding of medical students in the college hostels

II. Allocating spaces meant for medical students to other students

III. Dilapidated conditions of the medical students' hostels

IV. Lack of water during dry seasons

V. Students contributing personal funds to purchase water for their daily usage in the teaching hospital hostels

VI. Multiple payments of accommodation fees in a particular class or session

2. COLLEGE PROSPECTUS IRREGULARITIES

I. A sudden change in the promotional requirements for medical students without due information or explanation, which is foreign to medical training

II. No provision for student welfare is included in the supposedly issued new prospectus

III. Illegal withdrawal of medical students.

3. ACADEMIC CHALLENGES

I. Lack of adequate lecture halls for medical students; medical students stand to receive lectures.

II. Increase in school fees for repeating students

III. Irregularities in the academic calendar and abrupt administration of examinations

IV. Constant threats to medical students and victimization

V. Threat of closing the college of health sciences following peaceful expression of our grievances.

However, after being accompanied by the Police Department from the College of Health Sciences to the Government House, we were denied entry. Outside the Government House, some government officials, including the Commissioner of Police and Chief of Staff, addressed us. We stated our desire to see the Governor and Visitor to the university, but we were given mixed information regarding his presence in the Government House and availability to address the students.

We opted to wait patiently and peacefully outside the Government House until the Governor was present and available to address us. We were asked to send delegates, who would interface with a committee inside the Government House, and another government official told us to go back to school and that they would come the following day to interface with the students.

We declined to send delegates to dialogue with the committee without the Governor, but continued waiting quietly and peacefully until we were addressed by the Governor.

The government security pushed us back away from the entry to the Government house, pepper spray was used on some of our students. Suddenly, some thugs arrived on the scene, and the police and other security operatives withdrew from the scene.

The same thugs, armed with large sticks, harassed, chased, and beat us away from the premises up until CBN, Makurdi, even though we were unarmed. We remained peaceful and did not fight back, rather bringing out our phones to video in hopes of discouraging their violence or securing evidence of the perpetuated act.

We were able to put ourselves together, regroup, and check the wounded and our lost belongings.

We also proceeded back to the College of health sciences. On getting back to school, we finally had an interactive session with the university management.

We had an interactive session on the challenges above and got a verbal commitment from them to attend to the challenges within two weeks. We decided to take care of our wounded and psychologically traumatized students today being 26 October 2023, and we will resume classes tomorrow, Friday 27 October 2023.

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This press release is meant to bring to the attention of the public the true and accurate account of the events that took place during our peaceful walk to the government house and to disabuse the minds of the public from any other contrary reports of the said events that transpired on October 25, 2023.

Finally, we are very appreciative of the Governor of Benue State and the visitor to Benue State University for his kind gesture and love for the medical students of Benue State and his keen interest in revamping the public health service conditions in Benue State.

This is evidenced by his promise to reintroduce the Bond Scheme agreement between the state government and medical students of Benue State origin.

We further stress that we are peace-loving students, and we will do everything within our capacity to project a good image of Benue State and the university to the entire nation and the world at large. Hence, we sincerely hope that the Governor will look upon us with favor and grant us an audience with him and bring to justice the thugs who attacked medical students who came to see him.