At UNIMAID, gunshots, bomb blasts have become part of daily life’



Dr Othman Abubakar is a senior lecturer at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. He recently visited Ibadan, the Oyo State capital to deliver the keynote address during the fourth anniversary of the Ebedi International Writers Residency. In this interview with ADEWALE OSHODI, the former Commissioner for Information, Adamawa State and former Chief of Staff at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) speaks on the effect of the war on academics in UNIMAID, and why government should move faster to quell the insurgency. EXCERPTS:

You are from the University of Maiduguri; how has the insurgency in Borno State affected academics?

The insecurity situation in the North East, especially in Borno State, is affecting everything, including academics. At the University of Maiduguri, we are surviving through creativity. Hearing the sounds of gunshots and bomb blasts have become part of the life of those on campus, both the students and staff. However, as said earlier, we have been surviving through the creativity and dedication of the staff. We just finished the second semester, and we will be starting another session soon. However, everybody is in a state of fear. Hearing gunshots and bomb blasts is not a nice experience. This has, therefore, directly or indirectly affected the quality of teaching and learning. We had to scale down our lecture hours from one hour to 40 minutes, and all studies must end by 4p.m. This, therefore, rules out all night study activities. Under normal circumstances, we start lectures at 7a.m. and close by 6pm. Unfortunately, the insurgency came and we had to change everything. It’s really not easy, but we are surviving.

Has there been decline in students’ enrolment because of the insurgency?

Seriously! The decline is almost 60 per cent. I remember at the beginning of the second semester, I was teaching African poetry, and I wanted to introduce Yoruba oral poetry and I asked Yoruba students to come forward to tell us about oral poetry from their region, and shockingly, there was nobody. When I couldn’t find a Yoruba person, I, therefore, decided to teach the students Ibo oral poetry, and I asked again if Ibos were in class, and only one person stood up. This person is even a Maiduguri Ibo, meaning her family is based in Maiduguri. So this is how bad the situation is. About 70 per cent of students from the southern part of the country have abandoned their studies. Those who are in school are those who have gone far in their studies; these are those who are about to graduate.

You are an indigene of Madagali, in Adamawa State, but you said Boko Haram insurgents now occupy your personal building in the town, can you speak more on this?

The insurgents are in different groups. There are those occupying Gwoza, there are those occupying Bama, there are those occupying Gulak, in Adamawa State, as well as Michika and Madagali, my hometown. So the group in Adamawa first attacked Madagali, and when they entered the town, they identified some houses; the chairman’s house, the party leader’s house, my house, and a couple of other houses. So according to information, those who moved into my house first burnt my library. I got this information from those still on ground there. It is difficult to communicate, and before they can make calls, they move to the Mandara mountains, very close to Cameroon, before they could get telecommunication service to reach the outside world. These terrorists hate anything Western. All the books that I have been collecting since my secondary school days are all gone. I love reading so much and I spend a lot on books. My family of two wives, children and descendants totaling 18 were ferried out of the town at midnight, and it took them about five hours on foot to reach the next safe community. In fact, according to the information we are getting, those staying in our houses are really feeling so comfortable as if they have come to stay.

Can you quantify the number of books you have lost?

I have lost over 3,000 books. I am a book freak. I have all my books intact right from secondary school, through university. Even after I left school, I continued to buy books. I don’t do anything with my money; I buy only books. When I served as commission for information in Adamawa State, I travelled all over the world, and each time I travelled, I bought books; when I served as Chief of Staff at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), each time I travelled out, my estacode went into books, so I have a large collection of books. It is so unfortunate that everything is gone now.

You once said you no longer have a nation; what do you mean by that?

When I said I no longer have a nation, I was only being figurative. But honestly, before one can be a Nigerian, he must be from one region, and one village or town; that is no longer the case for me. I can’t visit Madagali, my hometown anytime soon because of this situation. Unfortunately, everybody is busy with 2015 politics, and the problems of the internally displaced people keep mounting on a daily basis. So how do you expect me to feel?


What is the solution now in your opinion?

The Nigerian government owes Nigerians a duty of protection. The failure of security in any section of the country, is a failure of security in all of the country. Today, you will find people from these troubled towns in other parts of the country, and these are those who are either running away from the insurgency, or those who are trying to infiltrate other peaceful regions so as to extend their reign of terror. These people are now all over the country, and by the time one knows it, the violence is spreading. So this is not entirely the problem of the North. Insecurity is a national problem; when one region is insecured, there is the probability that it would spill to other regions. It is just like if any part of the human body is sick, then the entire body is sick. So the government should do more to tackle this insurgency.

Do you perceive an end to this insurgency, and how soon?

God has been intervening. In the last two weeks, over 500 of them have been killed by the Nigerian military and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF). Our soldiers and men really did a wonderful job in Konduga. The insurgents even had the gut to send a letter that they were advancing on Maiduguri. We have been hearing that some of them are already surrendering. Since their leader was killed, the terrorists have been fighting themselves. Some want the insurgency to end, while others want it to continue; that is why some of them have been giving themselves up. So these are signs of the end for the terrorists.

With the insurgency, do you think Nigeria should even go ahead with the 2015 election?

I don’t think the security situation in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa is so monumental to the extent that it would stop the 2015 election. However, the government should really be serious and find a lasting solution to this insurgency. I don’t think the Nigerian military is so weak to bring an end to this problem; I just think something is wrong somewhere, but whatever it is, government should end it once and for all, because people are really suffering. We now have internally displaced people all over these three states; some have even moved to Cameroon, Chad and Niger. It is so unfortunate.

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