KASU medical students embark on protest over

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Medical Students of Kaduna State University marched out of the campus in their numbers and shut the main gate leading into the institution to protest the non-accreditation of their course by the Nigeria Universities’ Commission.

The protesting students blocked the main entrance of the institution carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “We are tired, accredit our faculty”; “Fix Barau Dikko for our clinical”; “This protest is the tip of the iceberg” among many others.

One of the protesting students, who does not want his name in print, said the Faculty of Medicine started since 2008/09 academic session and that none of the students has gone beyond 300-level.

Also speaking, a female student, who identified herself as Rabi, said the institution is not fair to the students, stressing that the medical students of the institution have been left in a state of confusion and as such, they want the government to take pro-active measures and do all that is necessary to ensure the Faculty gets the much-needed accreditation.

Another student, Thompson, said he is personally pained by the attitude of the state government toward the upgrading of Barau Dikko Hospital, which he described as irresponsible. He said aside the students who need the hospital for their clinicals, the populace in the state also need the hospital for healthcare delivery.

While one Hassan Abu, during the protest, also pleaded with the state government to rise to the occasion and save the students who have been left stranded for too long.

He said he was aware that a set of some medical students have been transferred to Uganda to complete their studies, and this singular act has heightened tension among the remaining students. He, therefore, called of Governor Yero to find lasting solution to the plight of the medical students.

Efforts to reach the school’s management to comment on the issue was frustrated by some private security personnel at the school gate, who denied media men entrance to the school premises.

As at the time of filing this report, men from Kaduna state security outfit’ Operation Yaki ‘were seen keeping vigil in front of the gate which was under lock and key.