The University of Jos was on Monday engulfed in turmoil as students took to the streets to protest the poor health facilities on campus, which they claim contributed to the tragic deaths of two of their fellow students.
The protesters, who were mainly students of dental medicine, stormed the school gate with placards.
Chanting slogans, the protesters displayed placards with various inscriptions, such as ‘Insufficient Medical Facilities in Clinics, Yet School Fees Was Increased.’
The placards also bear messages like ‘Justice for our fallen comrades’ and ‘Enough is enough: fix Our health Facilities Now.’
They demanded the reversal of the recent hike in school fees, saying it came without commensurate improvement in the quality of facilities.
Amidst chants and tears, the protesters highlighted the dire state of health services on campus, citing the recent deaths as tragic consequences of inadequate medical facilities despite school fees hike.
They lamented the lack of essential equipment, medical personnel, and timely emergency response, which they believe could have prevented the loss of their peers’ lives.
The deaths of the two students served as a catalyst for the protest, amplifying long-standing grievances about the university’s failure to prioritize the well-being of its students.
Some of the students who spoke passionately to BusinessDay on ground of anonymity condemned the university’s negligence and called for accountability.
They demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths and urged swift reforms to prevent such tragedies from recurring in the future.
The protest garnered widespread attention, the state Social media platforms were flooded with messages of support for the students, with many expressing outrage over the avoidable loss of life and calling for systemic reforms in higher education institutions.
At the time of filing this report, efforts by BusinessDay correspondent to speak to the head of information of the university, Abdullahi Abdullahi proved abortive as he did not pick calls or text messages sent to his phone.
