By Ibrahim G. Ahmad
The Federal Government has expressed concern over the recent abduction of 25 students of the Federal University Gusau.
The Minister of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, passed the message during a two-day official working visit to commiserate with the state government and the university community.
The minister’s visit was also to allocate 40 houses to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
She promised collaborative efforts with the state government to rescue the students and others still in captivity.
Edu said President Bola Tinubu had already given marching orders to security agencies to ensure safe rescue of the remaining people under captivity.
She said her visit to Zamfara was long overdue considering the magnitude of humanitarian crisis that made the state to be a flash point of the ministry.
In addition to sympathy visit, the ministry was in the state to revalidate social data of the vulnerable communities and to hand over 40 houses to IDPs
While addressing the university community, the minister gave the president’s assurance that those students would be back and continue with their studies.
Edu maintained that security and education were the top priorities of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, and that what made him to introduce students loan and other scholarships was to encourage more enrollment into university and other tertiary institutions.
The minister equally handed over the 40 units of houses to Gov. Dauda Lawan for onward distribution to IDPs in the state, as part of FG’s efforts to address humanitarian issues.
Gov. Lawan thanked the minister for the visit and the determination of the ministry to collaborate with the state in tackling humanitarian crisis affecting citizens.
The governor described city constructed under the Renewed Hope Programme as a critical intervention in addressing humanitarian challenges of the state.
He called on the minister to consider construction of two additional cities in Zamfara North and West senatorial districts.
The Vice Chancellor of the FUGUS, Prof. Muazu Abubakar, said the university management was doing all within its ability to encourage students not to be distracted by the ugly incident.
He thanked the minister for the visit and appealed for more security intervention to the university. (NAN)
