Amid growing security concerns in parts of the country, the management of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology has cancelled a planned field trip to New Bussa in Niger State for Level 400 Fisheries students, opting instead for a safer location within Kano State.
The university said the decision followed concerns surrounding the security situation in the area proposed for the eight-week mandatory field exercise, even as parents and stakeholders reportedly expressed fears over the planned trip.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Affairs, Abdullahi Datti Abdullahi, the institution clarified that the Vice Chancellor, Musa Yakasai, had rejected the trip long before public concerns intensified.
“When the idea of going to New Bussa in Niger State came up, the Vice Chancellor, who was already aware of the security situations in the area, had long ago rejected the trip,” the statement said.
Following the decision, the university directed the Department of Fisheries to identify a safer alternative for the compulsory exercise, leading to the selection of Tiga Dam in Kano State.
“The students are now going to Tiga Dam in Kano for the mandatory exercise,” the statement added.
The institution stressed that students’ welfare remains a priority, assuring parents and guardians that management would not expose students to unsafe locations.
“The university management never jokes with students’ safety and welfare within and off campus,” Abdullahi stated.
The university further reassured families that “there is no plan to take our students to New Bussa or any other unsecured areas for any activity.”
The clarification followed opposition reportedly expressed by some parents over the proposed trip involving more than 30 students to Niger State, an area some families considered unsafe due to prevailing security challenges.
Credit: ThePunch
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