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Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Borno State Last Week, controversy as currently ensued at the Borno State College of Nursing and Midwifery where 20 students who allegedly refused to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari during his one-day visit where suspended.
Buhari visited Borno last week and commissioned projects of Governor Babagana Zulum.
However, exactly one week after the visit, a letter on the sanction imposed on students who reportedly ignored the directive to welcome the president trended on social media.
The students were notified of a week suspension from June 21 to June 28 for disobedience.
You are hereby suspended from the college for one week with effect from today 21st June 2021 for disobedience of executive order to welcome the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, GCON (on the 17th of June 2021).”
You are expected to report back to college on the 28th of June 2021 along with your parent or guardian,” the letter read.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one of the students who participated in welcoming the president, told Daily Trust that they were kept in the sun for hours.
The student added that some of them got tired of standing and left while those who are married left to pick their children from schools.
The source added that most of the affected students were nursing mothers who could wait till the end of programme.
But the Provost of the institution, Hajiya Rukaya Shettima, who confirmed that some students were suspended, said it was not because they did not welcome the president.
She said the students were suspended because of their “notorious persistent disobedience” to instruction and orders of the school management.
“It is not true and it is not everything on social media that is true. What actually happened was that some of the suspended students have been notorious in disobeying rules and regulations of the College. And don’t forget that they are here for both character and learning,” she told Daily Trust.
“Some of them on several occasions absconded from the hospitals they were posted for clinical trainings while others are in the habit of late coming to classes.
“So, on the day of the President’s visit, you remember that the state governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, came out on air and asked citizens to give a rousing welcome to the president.
“So in the afternoon, we all came out, but before going, we exempted pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and sick ones among the students. But while the students were going out to cheer the President, some others sneaked back to their hostels. So when we discovered this and took a roll call, we discovered that they were the same students having previous issues of disobedience with the school Management.
“So, a disciplinary Committee was set up and they recommended suspension of the students over their unbecoming behaviour and disregard to school orders, and not because they refused to welcome the President.”
But in what appeared as contradiction, the provost said the suspended students were recalled when she sense political undertone.
“The moment I saw the letter stating that they were suspended for not filing out to welcome the president, I sensed that politics have crept in to the matter hence, I ordered for the immediate recall of the students. So the students have been recalled,” she added.
