College of Health Technology Jega Shutdown Indefinitely Over Students Unrest

The Kebbi State government has Shutdown the College of Health Technology Jega Indefinately following student unrest.The Commissioner for Higher Education, Alhaji Isa Abubakar Tunga, confirmed this while briefing newsmen in his office regarding the causes of the student rampage, which led to the burning of the Provost’s house and his car.

He disclosed that three main issues led to the unrest: the non-accreditation of a few courses, lack of electricity, and lack of water on the campus.

According to him, “This morning, around 9 a.m., the Provost called me and reported that there was a problem at the school. The students of Public Health and Reproductive Health said they would not sit for the examination scheduled for next Tuesday because these two courses were not accredited. Any course that is not accredited is not a recognized course for national certification; rather, it remains a state certificate or state diploma.”

He further explained, “All of this was caused by the non-accreditation of most of the courses the students are taking at the school. That is the main reason for this riot. The students said they would not sit for the examination if it was for a state diploma because there are students who have already graduated with an Ordinary Diploma, secured employment, and when their organizations saw their certificates, they were rejected.”

“In fact, this is the main reason these students went on a rampage. The other reasons are just secondary, such as no water supply in the school, no electricity, and no proper toilets for their daily needs. But the primary reason is the lack of accreditation for their courses.”

Tunga disclosed that the school had written to his ministry about their challenges and that they had forwarded a memo to the Governor, which is still awaiting approval.

“But in the meantime, we have instructed the school management to borrow money to start making contact with the NBTE, and they have made some payments. The NBTE is expected to visit the school for an accreditation exercise for some of the courses. Unfortunately, I believe these students were instigated by external forces, especially those who have already graduated from the school with an Ordinary Diploma. We met a few in the school because they believe that if they finish, they would not be recognized nationally.”

“Their target was the Provost. They burned his house and vandalized his car. The DPO has started an investigation into the rampage. If not for that, they might have killed him. They completely burned his house, and he has nothing left. By God’s grace, before we arrived at the school, Sarki Jega had already reached the place and calmed them down, but we still had to park our cars outside the school premises for safety.”

He added that they were able to enter the school with the DPO and the Director of DSS, but the students were still angry, and it was difficult to address them until they selected a few leaders from among themselves.

According to him, about ten students were selected, and they explained their grievances, as mentioned earlier. By evening, they had issued fresh threats to the female students, warning them not to stay on the campus.

“They said that any girl who stays in the school hostels does so at her own risk. This information came to us, and the best course of action was to close the school until we can form a committee to investigate what is happening. Also, those found guilty or involved, whether students or teachers, will be dealt with accordingly.”