Post Graduate Students Shut Down Mining Institute In Jos

Posted by African Examiner education, Latest Headlines Monday, February 3rd, 2014

Agabus Pwanagba

The Nigeria Institute of Mining and Geo-sciences (NIMG) Tudun Wada Jos entrance was barricaded on Monday morning for hours, by the Post Graduate Students of the Institute, who were on a peaceful protest, saying what led to their action is the inhuman treatment meted on them by the management.

African Examiner Correspondent, who visited the Institute, was told that the incident started at about 8.am Monday morning, when the students in their numbers blocked the entrance into the school premises with over five cars thereby preventing staff from gaining access into their offices.

Some of the students carried placard with inscriptions, “what is our certificate worth?”, “who signed our certificate,” “give us audience, Hostel not char et,” “no registrar, no Bursar, no school and where are the well equipped laboratories that was advertised.” Others inscriptions reads, Where are the practical equipment promise us, Where is the 120 Million US Dollars from the world Bank fund, and How authentic is the affiliation of NIMG to Unios, FUTA and Penn state University among others. One of the students who identified himself as Abraham who spoke to African Examiner on behalf of his colleagues, lamented the poor facilities in the institute.

He said, they were in NIMG for their post graduate programme and before registration they were made to understand that the institute have well equipped laboratories and their practical training will be outside Nigeria, while they pay heavily for medical and ICT yet they cannot access these services the management advertised.

Abraham decried the change in organizational structure of the institute stressing that the new arrangement is that they is no Bursar, no Registrar which shows that NIMG is no longer an academic institute, “if there is no Registrar who will sign our certificate”, he asked.

He added that NIMG is said to have signed MOU with authority of University of Jos yet the Institute is not accredited.

“We have not finished defending our project yet the management went ahead and brought a notice for us to vacate our hostel, we went times without number to see the Chief Executive Officer CEO Engr. Idris Umar but they will not allow us to see him,” He fumed.

Similarly a staff of the Institute who did not want his name in print told our correspondent that the action of the students is justified because they pay heavily for some services during their registration which they cannot access now, but plead with the students to open the gate so as to allow negotiation and dialogue with the authority of the school with a view to resolving the impasse.

However most of the staff who spoke said the unwarranted influence peddling by officials of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development coupled with the growing instability in the management of the institute may affect the institute’s ability to attract quality teaching staff as well as hamper its admission process.

The Chief Executive Officer Idris Umar a Director in the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development could not be reached on his mobile phone for comment.

While the Public Relations Officer of NIMG Oscar when contacted for comment said, “I have nothing to say for now as I’m waiting for my boss for further directive”,

After several hours, the staff had to go back home, because the students refused to allow them in. As at the time of filing this report, the students have left the vicinity of the Institute, but have vowed that no work will take place until their problems are attended to.