An enlarged consultative meeting involving the management of Plateau State University, Bokkos (PLASU), host communities leaders, landlords and students’ union representatives, has been held to proffer solutions and strategies for containing security challenges in and around the university.
This was contained in a press statement signed by the university’s Public Relations Officer, John K. Agam, and made available to THE NIGERIA STANDARD in Jos, the Plateau State capital, recently.
The meeting also deliberated on ways of improving the quality of off campus hostel accommodation facilities, electricity supply and handling other social services that would enhance growth and development of the university and its host communities.
Presiding over the meeting which was the first of its kind since his assumption as the Vice Chancellor of the university six months ago, Professor Matur Malau Bernard said, “it has become incumbent on the university to close ranks with the host communities in the face of renewed threats to the security and serenity of the university and the host communities.
“The university wants to sue for your mutual collaboration as the host communities and landlords in tackling an improved quality of accommodation for students staying off campus, issues relating to accessibility, house numbering for ease of locating and securing the environment respectively.
“To this end, the university has secured the establishment of a Police Station opposite the university gate which has eighteen police personnel in addition to a detachment of military men who are also stationed near the university gate to complement the internal security arrangements of the university and the host communities”, he assured.
According to him, plans were also fine- tuned for the provision of tunnel trench fencing around the university to mitigate intrusion by unauthorised persons and animals who might want to trespass or rather, force themselves into the university’s land.
He also used the occasion to announce that the university health centre would be expanded in order to meet the health needs of both the university and the host communities as part of the university’s corporate social responsibility.
Matur added that the intention of the university within available resources was to provide electric transformers for the immediate host communities where a sizable number of students were accomodated in and around the university.
The Vice Chancellor, however, disclosed that with the take- off of the Faculty of Education, the university’s Demonstration Primary and Secondary Schools would soon be established by the for both university and the host communities to benefit from it.
On his part, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration and Chairman, Security Committee, Associate Professor Jurji Nengak Gomos, said, “this is the first time such an enlarged meeting was being convened to bring together community leaders, property owners and students leaders for the purpose of addressing security and social challenges bedeviling the university and its host communities”
Also, the Director of Works, Plateau State University Bokkos, Builder Serah Demwaka Wayo Tsemwan, pledged her commitment to play an advisory role in fostering building control mechanisms that would guide against the development of slums.
In their separate remarks, leaders of Chikam, Ndar, Ngha ti tandon, youth leaders, landlords and representatives of Students Union Government, appreciated the Vice Chancellor for initiating the meeting and promised to fully cooperate for the progress of all the parties involved.
Meanwhile, as a resolution on the outcome of the meeting, both the leaders of the host communities and landlords endorsed the decision to create a registrar of landlords, house numbering and a standard procedure for documentation to foster easy identification of all tenants occupying their property.
