A Pro-Democracy and Human Rights group, Concerned Nigerians, has criticised the Nigerian Federal government’s proposed plan to construct a 27.3 Kilometre perimeter fence round University of Maiduguri at an exorbitant cost of N64 billion.
This represents the sum contained in the 2020 budget.
The group in a press statement made available to journalists on Saturday said the budgeted sum of money for a 27.3 kilometre perimeter fence around UNIMAID is over-bloated, exorbitant and overtly outrageous.
The convener of the group, Deji Adeyanju, in a statement, said “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.”
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