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Pro-Democracy and Human Rights group, Concerned Nigerians, have condemned the
Federal government’s proposed plan to construct a 27.3 Kilometre perimeter
fence round University of Maiduguri at an exorbitant cost of N64B describing it
as over-bloated, exorbitant and overtly outrageous.
This
was contained in a press statement by the convener of the group, Deji Adeyanju
on Saturday..
The
statement read: “We as an organization, understand the fact that there’s a
rising and ongoing insecurity in North-Eastern Nigeria where the university is
located and the need for the students and staff of the university to be
protected, but the money being budgeted for the construction of 27.3 Kilometer
Perimeter Fence round the institution is outrageous.
“The
country currently, is surviving on borrowing and we have seen instances where
money meant for projects like this are misappropriated or diverted into private
pockets.
“The
war against insurgency has lingered enough and we believe that the Buhari led
administration is not doing enough to tame these monsters killing and maiming
our fellow compatriots.
“The
war has turned into a franchise where elites who are beneficiaries of arms deal
contracts would do everything to keep their arms and aid business afloat”.
Adeyanju
also condemned the Federal government’s rehabilitation and reintegration
programme for repentant Boko Haram, describing the scheme as fraudulent and
ill-informed.
“We
sought the counsel of an expert, a civil engineer who told us that he has
actually constructed a Fence that was more than 2km, a Block Wall fence, at 3m
height, with Reinforced Concrete Double columns at every 5m, and single columns
at every 3m that did not cost more than 15m per kilometre.
“Even
the Abacha regime that Nigerians think was the most corrupt is nothing compared
to the monumental fraud that is being witnessed under the administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Recall
that the Federal Government had begun the construction of the 27.3-kilometre
perimeter fence for the University of Maiduguri to check incessant attacks by
Boko Haram terrorists.
The
project, which is valued at N64bn according to the Chairman, Academic Staff
Union of Universities in UNIMAID, Dani Mamman, is to stop the terrorists who
have been penetrating the North-East part of the institution’s campus.
Dr
Dani Mamman also stated that only the western and southern parts of UNIMAID
campus were initially fenced.
He
said, “The UNIMAID perimeter fence is still being constructed. The Federal
Government approved N64 bn for the construction of 27.3-kilometre perimeter
fence for UNIMAID. That place is very porous.
“The
ASUU UNIMAID wrote to the Minister of Education through the ASUU president
after an explosion during which we lost a professor and seven other staff.”
(Today.ng)
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