Borno govt queries college provost for suspending students who refused to welcome Buhari

The Borno State government has queried the Provost of the state’s College of Nursing and Midwifery, Rakiya Mustapha, for suspending 20 students who refused to welcome President Mohammadu Buhari during his last visit to the state.

The college had earlier in the week suspended the students for one week for disobeying an executive order that required them to welcome the President who visited the state to commission some projects initiated by Governor Babagana Zulum.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Juliana Bitrus, in a letter dated June 25, 2021, and addressed to the provost school of nursing and midwifery, distanced the state government from the suspension of the students and accused her of being mischievous and acting on her own accord.

She said Mustapha’s action was a ploy to embarrass the state government, adding that out of the eight state-owned tertiary institutions in the state, only the college suspended students for alleged disobedience of executive order.

The commissioner demanded the provost’s response to the query within 48 hours and explain why disciplinary actions should be taken against her.

READ ALSO: Borno school reportedly suspends students for refusing to welcome Buhari

The letter read: “Even though it is a normal practice that students join in welcoming visiting Presidents all over Nigeria, such acts are voluntary. Moreso that students constitute far less than thousands of residents who freely trooped out to welcome the President in all parts of Maiduguri.

“Heads of States and Presidents have been visiting Borno since 1976, and students do join in welcoming them, and no one ever expected 100 percent compliance in any public mobilisation.

“If any issue involving students was to be raised, how come it was not the Borno State University, which the President commissioned, or schools around projects commissioned by the President?”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now