Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has said that the state-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU Lapai) will not reopen until all security challenges are addressed.
The governor stated this when he met with stakeholders from Lapai Emirate and the IBBU at the Government House, Minna, to discuss issues concerning the recent security breaches that led to the indefinite closure of the school.
He enjoined the management of the institution to liaise with the State Security Committee to put mechanisms in place that include recruitment, training and equipping individuals who will provide security in the Institution, make new students and staff’s Identity Cards with a code containing detailed information of the holder to ensure access control within the University.
He maintained that the institution would only be reopened when the security architecture in the School is rejigged to guarantee the safety of Students, Staff, and property.
The governor said that under his watch, such security breaches would not be tolerated and that parents must be reassured of their children’s safety. Parents would also be made to sign undertakings on their Children’s conduct in the University’s community, as decisive action would be taken against students disrupting the institution’s stability.
Governor Bago said the institution has come to stay, and the State government will do everything possible to protect it. Still, he added that the host community should coexist with the University’s community for the socio-economic growth and development of the area.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Abdullahi Adamu Mamagi, and the Lapai Local Government Council Chairman, Abdullahi Musa Kirikpo, in their separate remarks, highlighted the inadequate hostel accommodation for students and insufficient security personnel, among other challenges confronting the Institution, and appealed to the Governor to use his good office to wade into the situation for lasting solutions.
The Vice Chancellor of IBBU Lapai, Prof. Mohammed Hadi Suleiman, highlighted the institution’s efforts to attract interventions for more hostel accommodation for Students.
