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Tag: UNIMAID

  • UNIMAID,Nursing School mourn as eight students die in road crash

    UNIMAID,Nursing School mourn as eight students die in road crash

    The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) and Borno State School of Nursing lost eight students in a road crash while on their way to Abuja for the yearly Conference of Fellowship of Christian Nursing Students. They died when one of the three buses in which they were travelling veered off the road and raced into the bush. TAIWO ISOLA (300-Level Human Anatomy, UNIMAID) reports.

    Students of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) and Borno State School of Nursing are in grief. They are mourning the death of eight of their colleagues in a road crash, last Wednesday. Five were injured.

    The Nursing students were travelling to Abuja for the yearly Conference of Fellowship of Christian Nursing Students when they had an accident in Bauchi State.

    When the news hit both campuses, academic activities were disrupted. Students gathered in groups, discussing the mishap.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that over 60 students from both institutions left Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for the conference in three buses.

    It was learnt that the driver of one of the buses attempted to avert a head-on collision with a vehicle coming in the opposite direction, but lost control and somersaulted. The bus crashed into the bush.

    Among the dead was the president of Fellowship of Christian Nursing Students in UNIMAID, Edward Peter Mshelia, and Benita Wilson.

    The news of their death shook their colleagues, who recalled their last moments.

    In tears, Mary James, a 300-Level Pharmacy student of UNIMAID, said she saw the late Benita a few minutes before she embarked on the journey. “I saw Benita this morning when she was leaving the hostel for the park. She stopped by at my room and bade me goodbye. She promised to return by weekend. The next thing I heard was that she died in an accident. I wished she was not among the dead but I have not heard she is among the survivors.”

    The late Edward’s friend, Bitrus Dalori, said: “I was with him for about two hours on Tuesday night and I was the last person he saw before going to bed. As I left for the campus on Wednesday morning, I called him to ask about the journey; he told me they had already left Yobe State. I was happy they were out of the crisis-ridden area. After my lecture, I called him again but he did not pick up. I thought he was asleep. Several minutes after, I called him again but what I heard from the other end shook me. The voice said ‘sorry, we lost him’. Is this how people die? It is still like a dream to me that Edward is dead.”

    It was gathered that Edward’s sister, a student at the School of Nursing, was also among the dead.

    According to Janet Yagana, a student of the School of Nursing, the deceased were dedicated students. “But we accept the fact that there is nothing we can do about it,” she said.

    Ruth Edet, a graduating Nursing student of UNIMAID, said: “It is sad and my heart goes out to their families. We lost our president. Edward was focused and courageous. He was a blessing to the department. His death is a big loss.”

    Idris Mohammed, a student, said: “The students survived gun and bomb attacks in Maiduguri and Yobe, only to die in an accident on the highway. It weakens my heart that they had to die this way. They won many battles but they lost this one.”

    The deceased have been taken to their home towns for burial. The injured are still in a government hospital in Bauchi State.

  • UNIMAID gets VC

    The Governing Council of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) has announced the appointment of Prof Ibrahim Njodi as new Vice Chancellor of the institution for a five-year term. The announcement was made following the approval of his appointment by the Federal Government.

    The valedictory ceremony for the former VC,  Prof Mala Daura, was held at El Kanemi Hall of the university.

    In his remark, Prof Daura lamented that the Boko Haram insurgency had taken a huge toll on the institution as some of members of staffs and students had been killed while others left the university.

    Daura said he had implemented 80 per cent of the recommendations in the white paper of the visitation panel to the university.

    Njodi praised members of staff of the institution for their support to the out-going VC, urging them to stand by the university at all times. He assured them that he would do his best to move the university forward.

    Speaking on the tenure of the out-going VC, a student, Idris Suleiman, said: “The former Vice Chancellor did his best especially in the areas of security and infrastructural development. We now have new faculties at the faculties of Education and Pharmacy and a new College of Medical Sciences, new lecture theatres and many others. Electricity and water supply in the university are now stable. We are optimistic and hopeful that the new Vice-Chancellor will work hard to surpass his achievements.”

  • Rainstorm rage at UNIMAID

    Rainstorm rage at UNIMAID

    Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) last Monday when  rainstorm hit the Borno State capital. TAIWO ISOLA (300-Level Human Anatomy) reports.

    A RAinstorm hit the beleaguered Maiduguri, Borno State capital, last Monday, sweeping away properties worth millions of naira. The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) was affected.

    The rainstorm raged for two hours. It swept through the campus when many students were in the examination halls. Some were in their hostels; others were buying food stuff at the commercial areas of the campus.

    A student, Tola Bamigboye, who was washing clothes in the hostel, said: “We noticed the cloud became thick and the wind started blowing everything in different directions. The storm blew sand everywhere; it was a terrible scene.”

    Fatima Suleiman, who was in the examination hall, said the hall “vibrated continuously” while the storm lasted. She said: “The ceiling was blown off. Everybody was scared. We wrote the paper, despite that the rainstorm blew sand into the hall. Our answer booklets were covered in dust.”

    Students and lecturers ran helter-skelter in the midst of the storm to avoid being hit by objects. The storm uprooted some trees, blew off roofs and destroyed window louvres.

    A section of the roof of the Faculty of Education building was blown off, exposing documents and furniture in lecturers’ offices to the elements. The Department of Geology was worse hit as its roof was blown off.

    Abdulwahab Abdulahi, a student, who was in Modibbo Lecture Theatre during the storm, said: “I testified to the greatness of God when trees were uprooted right before my eyes. I have never witnessed such.”

    The College of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Pharmacy were not spared by the raging storm. A lecturer, who did not give his name, said: “I was in my office when the storm started. I watched my car being hit by fallen tree branches. When the storm was over, I discovered the car hood was badly damaged.”

    At the university staff quarters, tree branches destroyed buildings and vehicles. Electricity poles were uprooted, leaving the campus in darkness after the incident. Power was restored in some areas days after.

    At the commercial area and the Ecumenical Centre, shops were reduced to rubbles; many traders lost their goods. When the rainstorm subsided, those who fled returned to meet their shops in ruins. They wore gloomy faces, standing in groups to count their losses.

    Some traders wailed on seeing that their investments had gone with the wind. Some were seen salvaging what was left of their goods in the rubbles. A fish trader whose kiosk was destroyed said: “All glory be to God. Though I lost everything but I did not lose my life. I know it will be tough, but I will rise again.”

    Students’ fellowship tents around the Ecumenical Centre were blown away. When CAMPUSLIFE visited the site in the evening, students, who always gathered to worship there, were nohwre to be found.

  • Multiple explosions jolt UNIMAID

    Multiple explosions jolt UNIMAID

    Boko Haram insurgents invaded Marimari and Gremari villages in Borno State last Saturday, creating panic at the nearby University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID). TAIWO ISOLA (300-Level Human Anatomy) reports.

    They struck far from the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), but the echo was heard on the campus. Students ran helter-skelter, following  multiple explosions in Marimari and Gremari villages, both in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.

       The council is less than two kilometres from the university. Boko Haram insurgents had come calling again.

    The insurgents invaded the villages, shooting sporadically and throwing explosives. It was some minutes past midnight on Saturday when students were going to read in preparation for their examination.

    The explosions shock the campus.

    Some students, who were sleeping in their hostels, rushed out to know what was amiss. There was a stampede as staff and students ran for their lives, thinking the insurgents were trying to break into the campus. Some students were injured in the ensuing melee.

    Idris Suleiman, a student, who was reading in a classroom when the explosions occurred, said: “The class where I was reading was almost filled by students, who had exams the following day. When the bombs went off, the whole place shook. Everybody ran out because we thought the building was going to collapse on us. When I got to the hostel area, I heard students shouting ‘run for your life’.”

    There was pandemonium in the hostels, but the students were afraid to run out because there was no electricity. “Everywhere was dark and we could hear students screaming for help from the hostels,” Idris added.

    A female student, Anu Bamidele, who was in her hostel when the incident occurred, described it as terrible. “It was a terrible experience for us. If the incident had happened during the day, we would have known which direction to run to. But the darkness compounded our fear; we stayed in there for as long as the shooting lasted because we didn’t know where it was happening.”

    The Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof M.W. Gaya, visited the hostels the following morning to allay the students’ fear. He cautioned them against trying to run away from the campus whenever there is an explosion.

    Michael Jonah, a student, claimed to have heard sounds of Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) near the commercial area of the university as he ran to safety with other students, but said: “We didn’t know whether it was for us or against us; we just ran away.”

    The students remained awake while the explosions and gunshots lasted. Stephen Edet, a final year student of Mechanical Engineering, said: “The explosion woke me up at 12am. My heart skipped. I had not the slightest idea of what was happening but I knew all was not well. Till about 4am, all occupants of my hostel remained awake. It was when the hostel mosques made calls for prayer that we felt comfortable to sleep.”

    A resident of Ado Bayero Hall, who did not want his name in print, said he saw some fear-stricken students jumping down from the storey building, and sustaining injuries in their bid to escape.

    The incident did not stop the ongoing examination as students, who had papers on Saturday morning, rushed to the venues. A Pharmacy student, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, said: “When the explosions and gunshots finally stopped around 4am, I picked up my books and started revising for my exam. I know there was no way the management would have cancelled the exam, despite the explosions that forced many students to abandon their books for four hours.”

    The Borno State Department of the State Security said, in a statement, that the blasts and the shootings had nothing to do with the university.

    The statement read: “There was an attack by insurgents in Marimari and Gremari villages, who attacked the villagers because of recent arrest of some and killing of some Boko Haram members by the villagers. The insurgents came for revenge.”

    The insurgents were reportedly repelled by security operatives during an exchange of gun fire.

    Meanwhile, the management has created military points at the university gates 1 and II and the campus motor park. Security operatives are also on campus to maintain law and order.

  • 5,333 matriculate at UNIMAID

    5,333 matriculate at UNIMAID

    A mid security challenges rocking Borno State, the hotbed of Boko Haram insurgency, 5,333 candidates who got admitted into the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry on Tuesday.

    Ushering the students officially into the university, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Mala Daura said that the large number of students admitted was a sign that the university was still popular despite the lingering challenge of insurgency in the state.

    Daura reminded the students that their oaths were sacrosanct which is why they should adhere strictly to it as it promotes the basis for civilised university life.

    “You are joining a reputable citadel of learning and you must therefore act in a manner consistent with continued maintenance of peace and stability in the system. I hope that you will not be found wanting in this regard.

    The Vice Chancellor urged the fresh students to shun social vices like cultism, drug abuse, and violent demonstrations, warning against anything that would breach the peace on campus.

    To prevent extreme tendencies due to the trauma of insurgency, the VC said that a robust counseling centre has been located within the hostels to ensure that students are able to discuss issues that affect their psychology and studies.

    Daura assured them that the student affairs department in conjunction with trauma centres within the hostels will soon organise an orientation programme for them.

    A breakdown of students showed that 488 were admitted into the College of medicine; 158 into the Faculty of Agriculture; 333, Arts; and 949, Education.

    Engineering had 761; Law, 210; Management Sciences, 587, Pharmacy, 128; Social Sciences, 797; while Veterinary Medicine Department had only 58.

     

  • CP denies attack on UniMaid

    The Police Command in Borno on Friday denied reports of suspected Boko Haram insurgents attack on the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) campus.

    The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Lawal Tanko, made the denial in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

    “The story indicating that the university had been attack is not true.

    “What happened was that the insurgents passed through a river channel behind the university to launch the attack on the barracks,’’ he said.

    Tanko said that the university campus was safe as both students and lecturers had been adequately protected.

    He, however, confirmed an attempted attack on the Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, by suspected members of the sect.

    “It is true that there is an ongoing exchange of fire between security agents and some suspected insurgents, but the incident is limited to the barracks area alone,’’ he said.

    Also, Malam Ahmed Mohammed, the Chief Information Officer of the university, who spoke to NAN, corroborated the claim of the commissioner.

    “The university camp was not attacked; the attackers only used a narrow river side near the campus to carry out their nefarious act.

    “Many people assumed that the university was affected because the hostilities took place near the campus,’’ Mohammed said

  • Emergency: Stray bullets kill UNIMAID student

    Emergency: Stray bullets kill UNIMAID student

    Since the declaration of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, the states have not been the same. To students of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in Borno State, the situation has heightened the fear on the campus, following the killing of an undergraduate by stray bullets. TAIWO ISOLA (200-Level Human Anatomy, UNIMAID) reports.

    A student of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) may have fallen victim of the state of emergency in Borno State. Jilpida Samuel Thliza, 100-Level Agricultural Engineering, was reportedly killed by stray bullets a day after a state of emergency was declared in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states on May 14.

    Following the emergency declaration, many residents began to flee their homes, ostensibly to avoid being caught up in the cross fire between soldiers and the Boko Haram insurgents who unleashed terror on the Northeast.

    Lectures in higher institutions in the affected states have been adversely affected by the emergency. UNIMAID students, for instance, have been living in fear. Academic activities in the institution are at a low ebb, even as students are getting ready for their second semester examination.

    Many students, who are not accommodated on the campus, have moved their properties to the school to escape the crisis in town. Movements in and out of campuses are curtailed by the curfew in the three states.

    Samuel’s death has heightened the students’ fears, with many saying the institution may, after all, not be insulated from the crisis affecting many villages in Borno State.

    The late Samuel was said to be returning from school to spend the weekend with his parents when he was hit by stray bullets in Maiduguri. When his obituary was pasted virtually everywhere on campus, his classmates wept. Some of them recalled their last moments with him.

    Idris Suleiman, 200-Level Medical student, said: “The death of Samuel made me scared. I always go to town every weekend to spend time with my family. But, with the death of Samuel, I don’t think I will be able to go home till vacation.”

    The emergency also affects mobile telephone networks. Service providers suspended operations 24 hours after the emergency. At the time of this report, the campus was incommunicado, with students and lecturers lamenting their challenges in reaching one another.

    A student, Lawrence Ayolotu, said: “It was a surprise to us when the network went off. I had thought it was a normal network problem but, two weeks on, telephone service is yet to return to my phone.”

    He added: “It has been hell living in a place like Maiduguri without being able to communicate with my parents and loved ones for more than two weeks. With the reports of bombings and killings in Maiduguri, I am sure my parents will be worried about my well-being, but there is nothing I can do to help this situation.”

    For now, the academic community can only communicate with the outside world through the Internet. The university cyber café, which can accommodate about 60 persons at a time, is the last resort of students; those who have Smartphones log on to the wireless services provided by the institution.

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited last Friday, the cyber café was jampacked by students, who were anxious to contact their families at home. A student, who spoke in Hausa, said: “I am trying to send a message to my parents that I am still alive and nothing negative is happening on the campus.”

    Commercial activities on the campus have also been paralysed. The crisis compounded the students’ woes following an increase in prices of goods.

    Ruth Okechukwu, a student, who lamented the increment, said: “I am stranded here. I cannot communicate with my parents. The increase in prices of food stuff is not helping matter.”

    Though, the university is working towards reducing the duration of the examination, students who will be staying behind for their Teaching Practice (TP) and clinical posting at various locations within Maiduguri metropolis are apprehensive. They are appealing to the management to allow them undergo the training in other states.

    Tobi Agboore, 400-Level Nursing, said: “The situation in Maiduguri is not what somebody will just put his life carelessly on the line for. Many students have been victims of unprovoked attacks even while undergoing trainings. I appeal to the authorities to allow us go to places like Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba which are not affected by the emergency for our clinical posting.”

    Emmanuel Olajide, a graduating student of Ramat Polytechnic, a state-owned institution, said: “The proximity of the police headquarters to my campus is a major concern to us here. We have witnessed many unpalatable incidents. The sad tales are scary. We are only trusting God to help us through our stay here. The pursuit of a good future made us desperate for western education in Maiduguri but today the effects of this decision are beginning to dawn on us. The pain of seeing our colleagues being killed by militants and security forces is making us cry out for help.”

  • Medical students hold Health Week

    Medical students hold Health Week

    Medical students of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) have held their annual health week tagged Combat against HIV/AIDS: The role of government, healthcare practitioners and the journey so far.

    The event, which took place in the Edington Building of the university teaching hospital complex and the main auditorium, was attended by the Registrar, Mallam Baba Gana Aji; Provost Prof Dili Dogo; Borno State Commissioner for Animal and Fisheries Development Prof Umar Sandabe and health officers from within and outside the university.

    The week-long event featured a quiz contest, awareness campaign, hospital visitation, health talk, magazine launch and award presentations.

    Prof Sandabe said he was impressed by the contribution of the college to public health, urging students not to relent in promoting good health among the residents of the state.

    Highlight of the event was the launch of the Deedok, the medical students’ annual magazine.

    Awards were presented to people, who have contributed to the development of the medical students’ association.

    Prof Dogo, receiving an award, thanked the students for considering him worthy of the honour. He dedicated the award to his family and colleagues who contributed to his success.

  • Union gets caretaker committee

    Union gets caretaker committee

    Management of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) has inaugurated a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the Students’ Union Government (SUG). The committee took over from the interim committee, which was constituted nine months ago after the tenure of SUG officials expired.

    The union election was initially slated to hold when this session began but it was later cancelled by the management, which sworn in interim management committee to run the union offices.

    Though members of the new committee were those in the dissolved interim committee, but the caretakers were given the responsibility to manage the affairs of the union until new election is conducted.

    While commending students for maintain peace on the campus, the chairman of the caretaker committee, Suleiman Abubakar, urged students to support his committee’s drive to midwife a free and fair election. He advised them to direct their complaints and ideas to the SUG office.