Students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi on Friday stormed out in their numbers to protest the recent policy of Federal Government to scrap non-related courses from specialized institution, University of Agriculture across the country.
Most of the protesting students are from college of management sciences who are affected from the new policy announced by minister of Education, Professor Adamu Adamu.
The minister had announced plan to scrap some courses not related to courses of specialized universities across the country.
The students trekked from North Bank to the campus, a distance of about five kilometres and barricaded the entrance of the institution which caused heavy traffic along the road.
Management staff and academic staff of College of Management studies also joined in the protest
Comrade David Pine, vice president, student union government appealed to federal government not to carry out her decision stating that college of management sciences was beneficial to the university in many ways.โ
The student union leader described as untrue, the claim by the minister for education that other courses outside agriculture in the university would make the institution derail from its mandate.
He accused federal government of not paying attention or devising plan at to improving the university.
Also speaking, Mr Okpe Ikechukwu Accounting student described the decision by the Hon minister as worrisome and sad adding that it was the same federal government through National University Commission that gave approval for the university to have a college of management sciences
They all appealed to the government to allow the college stay in the interest of students and lecturers instead of throwing them back on the street.
The vice-chancellor of the university Prof. Emmanuel Kucha who addressed the protesting students and management staff of the affected college of management sciences appealed to them to remain calm as they were already making plans to meet with the federal government over the matter.
Prof Kucha who expressed dismay over the decision of the federal government noted that if the college of management sciences was scrapped so many lecturers would be affected as well as students.
The VC said he was in total support of the students saying no to the decision by the minister for education as there canโt be university of Agriculture without college of management sciences adding that no one can be successful in agriculture without good management background.
