Students Riot: How KUST Management can Turn the Tide -By Ibrahim Muhammad Abdul

Ibrahim Muhammad Abdul

It’s notable to a common man that the institutional response to the recent riot and protest of the students over the death of a student colleague drowned by river Wudil has become a national talk over the media. This reflects a broader change and a mix-feeling among both the students and staffs of the university.

Students have the right to peaceful protest on their campuses over things that go wrong about their right, but not to the extent of rampaging and destroying the university’s infrastructures and properties, this is a wrong notion. Whoever thinks of this is a laggard in all perspectives, because the truth is that what I know “Students want better representation of their views throughout their institutional structures and are willing to engage positively and constructively to the end’’. And also much more effective response is to come out of the ivory towers and sit and engage with students on their own terms in their own spaces.

But for KUST students you have done a lukewarm and bad, which I though may have some explicitly relation with some of the students that fall on all sides of the political spectrum, making them Marxist political activist. The view of mine from inside the university isn’t what you see on TV.

CAUSES
(1) The Wrong Upbringing
The nature of the students is mainly governed by their upbringing. How they were treated at their homes describe their behavior in the university.

(2) Family Background
The family background also causes lack of discipline in the students. The students who have their families associated with politics think that everything in the world belongs to them.

(3) Other causes includes Group formation in the university, Non- responsive nature of the university or institute e.t.c

REMEDIES, MEASURE AND POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE CHALLENGES OR PROBLEMS
Singling out a few students to suspend with immediate effect is only going to further the alienate. Hence,

(1) Finding the root cause and the university should follow their own regulation (which should be clear and fair).

(2) The regulations provide a sufficient mechanism for unilateral decisions to be challenge.

(3) Inclusion of Moral Values in the Syllabus: Discipline needs to be taught to the students from the very beginning. It cannot be taught in one day. So it would be better if the course of moral values is included in the syllabus of all tertiary institutions from very beginning.
The students should be taught how to behave with elders, how to solve the issues in a polite way, how to manage anger and how to avoid fights.

(4) A Good Upbringing, which will help them (the student) in no measure to give them the strength to be a better person and motivation to do something with their life.

(5). Counseling

CONCLUSION
The nature of the students is always mistaken in Nigeria. Most of the people think that the students, these days are filled with anger, attitude and ego. It is thought that the students have no interest in studying; they go to universities and colleges just to meet their friends and enjoy their time. But this is not true for all the students. If some students are losing their interest in studying them it is not their fault only. It is the institution fault also. They are lacking the resources or ability to put the students on the right track. If students are not guided at the right stage they will follow indiscipline.

Last, all I can say is that the rule of law should be prevail and anybody caught with causes of this traumatic behavior should be brought down to book.

IBRAHIM MUHAMMAD ABDUL (Kojes Rule),PGDPM, APMPI
Write this piece from Taraba State.