No fewer than 70 lecturers have resigned from the University of Maiduguri since the outbreak of Boko Haram insurgency in the North- East, SUNDAY PUNCH, has learnt.
Also, while five lecturers have been killed, three were said to have been held by the insurgents during the recent attack on oil workers.
The chairman, UNIMAID chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Dani Mamman, who said this in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, called on the Federal Government and the university authorities to put in place adequate security.
Mamman said although closing down the university was the initial thought, it was resisted by the management.
ASUU added that as a union, it believed that if its demands made to the Federal Government were fulfilled, the idea of closure would not be an option.
Mamman said, “About 70 lecturers left, about five died and three are held hostage by Boko Haram. The admission figure of students have been dropping since insurgency started in 2012. We don’t know what will happen to the admission of students this year.
“The exit of some lecturers has affected research and learning because some are specialists in their fields. Usually, such exodus affects accreditation of some programmes and courses.
“We requested the government to increase security personnel, security gadgets and construction of the 23.7 km perimeter fence. In the interim, the state governor has started building a 10.3 km perimeter fence.
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