By Raymond Gukas, Jos
The murder of Dr. Nandi Drenkat, a senior lecturer with the University of Jos and kidnap of his six-year-old daughter, Joana, has provoked a heated debate on the safety of the instruction’s staff and the public.
A wide range anger has enveloped the entire Plateau State, and this has led to a number of commentators blaming the federal government for not taking adequate measures to secure the university which lands have since been encroached on by a section of the public.
Although the daughter of the slain don has since regained her freedom and is reunited with her bereaved mother and siblings, due to the efforts of the police and the vigilante group, the consensus within discussions are that urgent steps must be taken or else, a sizeable amount of the university’s lands would disappear.
A powerful group in the state under the aegies of “Plateau Our Heritage” (POH), has threatened to collabote with any concern son or daughter of the state with the interest of the survival of the federal institution on Plateau land to initiate legal actions against impersonators, if need be.
Lamenting the Situation on the group’s WhatsApp platform, a member, Ezekiel Foron observed that the siege on the university of Jos was far more serious than the peoples’ emotional commentaries portray.
According to him, “It’s unfortunate that we are waking up to this reality, rather late in the day, when successive Vice Chancellors have been indegines. It brings to question the quality of our vision in this regard, as it were.
“Unless, we can draw a tenable holistic marshal plan to arrest this increasing siege, we may as well consider the relocation of this institution, to a safer area, in our own interests”, he emphasized.
Also Mr. James Magit was emphatic in his Submission when he quipped: The federal Government being owner of the university cannot pretend not to know the challenges. Let us prop up action. Vacating (the university) or relocating it from the place is the remotest of all options.”
According to him, “I think a combination of the university leadership, the state government and committed groups/Individuals cannot fail, except if there is conspiracy beyond genuine litigation.”
In his stead, Evans Binan puts it succinctly as he stressed that the University has been there for long, and “its our heritage and if we value it sincerely then we should be able to go neck deep to ensure that we neutralize the toxicity around the University and its environs.”
However, Esther Choji was of the opinion that since the environment was no longer save for both the staff and students, the university and the state government should start thinking of relocating the school to a safer environment.
Though, Dr. Christy Best agreed that the siege on the university was very serious, she added that “our emotional expressions are all a part of it. Thank God this forum is making it possible not only for us to lament and weep but most importantly to take action”, while focusing on possibilities that would ensure they lead to better outcomes.
Also contributing on the matter, Yakubu Taddy noted that though the University of Jos is a federal institution, it was established by one of Plateau’s illustrious sons, the late Police commissioner Joseph Gomwalk in the early70s.
As such, the “Unijos is therefore our heritage as it may revert back to us in future given agitations for true federalism” as lamentations by POH on happenings in the university will only amount to “mere posturing” even as he disagreed that relocating the institution was an open surrender.
Danjuma Maina was of the view that the state government should support the University gesture with adequate and right policy formulations, by the identification of illegal Land occupants, outright revocation and ejection or evacuation of same by the Security backup, so as to clear its surroundings of the looming dangers.
For Helen Dabup the university management could build a police structure close to the institution and hand it over to the police , as the “security system in the university staff quarters doesn’t seem to be well fortified enough to make it difficult for strangers to come in to commit such heinous crime.”
Chairman of POH, Hon. Alex Kwapnoe reiterated that “I assure you we are putting books together to bolster confidence on what we are doing after which we shall fire on full steam. the support and encouragement of our members would certainly be needed as i see the desire, enthusiasm and alacrity is clearly on the prowl here.”
